H.R. 7883 — Addressing Teacher Shortages Act of 2026

This section states congressional findings regarding nationwide teacher shortages—particularly acute in rural schools (serving 18% of students, or over 9 million) and subjects such as STEM, special education, and English as a second language (with 48 states reporting math shortages and 46 special education shortages in 2017–2018)—racial diversity gaps (20% teachers of color versus 50% students of color), high attrition rates (8% overall, 8.4% in rural schools), and benefits of teacher preparation, mentoring and induction programs, teacher residencies, and Grow Your Own models.

This section defines 14 terms for purposes of the Act, including: (1) dual or concurrent enrollment program, elementary school, local educational agency, and secondary school, as given in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801); (2) 2+2 program (i.e., a partnership between a junior or community college and a 4-year institution of higher education allowing teacher candidates to transfer credits and complete teacher preparation); (3) certified teacher (i.e., an individual meeting full State requirements for public school teaching); (4) eligible entity (i.e., a local educational agency or consortium thereof); (5) Grow Your Own program (i.e., a program recruiting local school graduates and community members into teaching); (6) historically Black college or university, as given in the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA; 20 U.S.C. 1061); (7) induction program, as defined in HEA section 200(14) (20 U.S.C. 1021(14)) with modifications to mentoring, feedback, instruction modeling, assessments, data use, and evaluations; (8) institution of higher education, as given in HEA section 101(a) (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)); (9) qualified mentor teacher (i.e., an effective educator selected to mentor, model practices, and support teacher candidates or new teachers); (10) rural area, as given in the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A)); (11) rural school district (i.e., one serving schools in a rural area); (12) Secretary (i.e., Secretary of Education); (13) STEM (i.e., science, technology, engineering, and mathematics); and (14) teaching residency program, as defined in HEA section 200 (20 U.S.C. 1021) but without the master's degree requirement prior to completion (i.e., allowing a bachelor's or master's degree).

This section establishes the Addressing Teacher Shortages Program, under which the Secretary of Education awards competitive multiyear grants (at least 5 years, renewable based on outcomes under section 5) to eligible entities (not defined in provided text) to carry out specified activities in consultation with served schools, including 1-year planning grants and a prohibition on transferring program administration to another federal agency. In awarding grants, the Secretary reserves 5% of funds for the Secretary of the Interior to use in Bureau of Indian Education-supported schools and, from the remainder, allocates at least 25% to rural local educational agencies, 25% to high-need subject areas, and 25% to diversify the teaching workforce. The Secretary gives competitive priority to applications addressing rural or high-need shortages with partnerships including Tribal Colleges and Universities (as defined in 20 U.S.C. 1059c); for teaching residency or Grow Your Own programs, priority goes to those preparing paraprofessionals, substitute teachers, or other school employees with at least 3 years of service for licensure or certification. Grant recipients must use funds for at least one of the following: (1) establishing or expanding teaching residency programs (e.g., resident tuition in exchange for a 3-year teaching commitment, salaries, mentor incentives, distance learning infrastructure); (2) teacher mentor programs (including training); (3) Grow Your Own programs; (4) 2+2 programs; (5) programs encouraging STEM majors to take education courses; (6) teacher preparation pathways in secondary schools; or (7) evidence-based retention strategies (e.g., technology for rural professional development).

This section requires each entity applying for a grant under section 4(a)(1)(A) to establish and include in its application an evaluation plan with relevant and measurable performance objectives, at a minimum covering—(1) educator retention rates in the first 3 and 5 years for participating teachers, principals, and other educators; (2) pass rates and scaled scores for initial state licensure or certification, or pass rates and average scores on teacher performance assessments, for participating teachers; (3) the number of participating educators hired by the high-need local educational agency; (4) the percentage of participating educators who are members of underrepresented groups; (5) the percentage of participating teachers teaching high-need fields or subjects such as STEM, language instruction for limited English proficient students, and special education; and (6) the percentage of participating teachers and other educators teaching in high-need schools, disaggregated by elementary and secondary levels. It further requires each grantee to submit a report to the Secretary at the end of the third and fifth grant years on the program's performance against these objectives, with annual reports required for grant renewals or initial grants longer than five years. Finally, it directs the Secretary to submit a report to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the House Committee on Education and Labor, by not later than two years after enactment and biennially thereafter, on the strengths and weaknesses of the grant program under section 4.

This section expresses the sense of Congress that teaching be formally recognized as a career pathway that is part of career and technical education, as defined in the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302). Thus, early career pathway programs in education—especially in STEM—would be eligible for funds available through programs that support career and technical education.