Supporting Future Educators Act of 2017

Supporting Future Educators Act of 2017

This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to establish the Strengthen-Our-Schools Grant Program, which shall award competitive, renewable five-year grants to local education agencies to fund:

• teaching residency programs, including distance-learning facilities or infrastructure, mentor teacher incentives, resident salaries, and resident tuition;
• additional credit requirements for a teacher to become licensed in a second subject area or earn an additional qualification that meets a specific need of the school;
• additional credit requirements needed to qualify teachers to teach dual or concurrent enrollment programs; and
• housing supplements or special housing programs to support prospective teachers in high-need districts.

Not less than 10% of available grant funds shall be directed to programs that address teacher shortages in rural school districts.

ED must create a national database of qualified mentor teachers who can provide student-teacher supervision to participants in teacher preparation programs.