The Florida Senate

¹240.5291  Teaching profession enhancement grants.--

(1)  Public and private colleges and universities with approved teacher preparation programs, in cooperation with school districts and community colleges, may submit a proposal for a teaching profession enhancement grant to the Commissioner of Education. The commissioner shall appoint an advisory committee, including classroom teachers and representatives of postsecondary teacher preparation programs, the Education Standards Commission, and school district staff development programs. The committee shall review the proposals and recommend to the commissioner an order of priority for funding. From among those proposals recommended by the advisory committee, the commissioner shall select for funding those proposals which have the greatest potential to result in improvements in teaching. Proposals shall be funded competitively.

(2)  To be eligible for funding, proposals shall include innovative programs designed to achieve one or more of the following objectives:

(a)  Recruitment of individuals into the teaching profession. Priority for funding shall be given to proposals which emphasize the recruitment of minorities and men.

(b)  Strengthening of academic and professional coursework. Priority for funding shall be given to proposals to incorporate components into the preservice educational programs relating to at-risk students.

(c)  Improvement of the preservice clinical component. Priority for funding shall be given to proposals addressing the training, credentials, and compensation of classroom teachers and university faculty involved in the supervision of interns and beginning teachers and alternate funding mechanisms to support field experiences, including joint school district and teacher preparation institution appointments and faculty exchange programs.

(d)  Enhancement of inservice education. Priority for funding shall be given to proposals to update teachers' and administrators' skills for working with at-risk students.

(e)  Enhancement of the professional status of teachers. Priority for funding shall be given to proposals to provide salary and other incentives to teachers for the pursuit of advanced degrees and training and for the achievement of national standards of professional competence.

(f)  Enhancement of higher education's role in public school improvement. Priority for funding shall be given to proposals which address university and community college collaboration, the dissemination and use of university research by public schools, the role of the demonstration research schools in the conduct of research and development of model programs and practices, and the role of the reward system within higher education for research and public service related to the public schools.

(g)  Assistance to teacher preparation programs to meet the standards of excellence pursuant to s. 240.529.

(3)  To be eligible for funding, each proposal shall include clearly stated goals and outcome objectives, a description of project activities, a budget, including identification of all federal, state, local, or other funds which will be used to support the proposed project, and evaluation procedures which describe how outcome objectives will be achieved and measured.

(4)  Each public or private college or university selected to receive a grant pursuant to the provisions of this section shall submit a report to the commissioner documenting expenditure of grant funds and the extent to which the objectives provided for in the proposal have been met. Such report shall be submitted to the commissioner by February 1, of each year. By July 1, 1995, the commissioner shall submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature on proposals funded pursuant to the provisions of this section. The report shall include a synopsis of the results of each program and recommendations concerning the implementation of program findings.

(5)  The Department of Education shall provide technical assistance to educational entities in the development of proposals and to the advisory committee in reviewing proposals.

(6)  The State Board of Education shall have the authority to adopt any rules necessary to implement the provisions of this section.

(7)  This section shall be implemented to the extent funded annually by the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund as appropriated by the General Appropriations Act.

History.--s. 25, ch. 90-288; s. 24, ch. 91-201; s. 5, ch. 91-429; s. 8, ch. 97-4; s. 3(7), ch. 2000-321.

¹Note.--Repealed January 7, 2003, by s. 3(7), ch. 2000-321, and shall be reviewed by the Legislature prior to that date.