A Democratic bill with 1 Republican cosponsor · See the cosponsor
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
S. 5540, the Preparing and Retaining Education Professionals Act of 2026, amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to enhance teacher and school leader quality and institutional aid. The bill authorizes competitive partnership grants for teacher preparation, teaching residency programs, Grow Your Own programs, and school leadership programs. It establishes rigorous accountability, evaluation, and reporting measures, including report cards for teacher and school leader preparation programs. Additionally, the legislation provides support for the Honorable Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence to recruit and prepare educators. Finally, the bill updates institutional aid provisions to help various colleges and universities establish or enhance teacher and school leader education programs.
Yes· 3 of 23
- Scored +7
Does this put more money into public schools?
The legislation authorizes substantial grant funding for teacher and school leader quality enhancement and expands allowable uses for institutional aid at colleges and universities.
- Scored +6
Would children be better off under this?
Students benefit directly from being taught by better-prepared educators through strengthened teacher preparation and residency programs.
- Scored +6
Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this?
Aspiring teachers, recent college graduates, and residency participants receive living stipends, salaries, and structured training pathways.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Strengthened Teacher Preparation: Section 202(d)(1) provides partnership grants for teacher preparation programs to implement reforms that hold programs accountable for preparing new or prospective teachers with essential teaching skills and evidence-based practices. This benefits students by ensuring they are taught by better-prepared educators.
-
Financial Support for Residents: Section 202(e)(2)(C) requires teaching residency programs to provide a 1-year living stipend or salary to teaching residents during their program. This benefits aspiring teachers by helping them financially while they complete their training.
-
Targeted Workforce Diversity and Shortages: Section 202(f) authorizes Grow Your Own programs to address subject or geographic areas of teacher and school leader shortages and increase the diversity of the workforce. This benefits communities struggling to find qualified educators.
-
Increased Institutional Funding: Section 3 amends various sections of the Higher Education Act to allow institutions such as Tribal Colleges, Alaska Native-Serving Institutions, Predominantly Black Institutions, and Hispanic-Serving Institutions to establish or enhance teacher and school leader education programs. This benefits minority-serving institutions by providing explicit authorization to use institutional aid for educator preparation.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
-
Service Repayment Obligations: Section 202(e)(2)(C)(iv) requires teacher residency program participants who receive a stipend or salary to repay the funds with interest if they do not complete their required 3-year service obligation in a high-need school. This places a financial burden on individuals who are unable to complete their service.
-
Program Fines: Section 205(a)(3) allows the Secretary to impose a fine of up to $27,500 on an institution of higher education for failing to provide required report card information in a timely or accurate manner. This imposes financial penalties on educational institutions.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would children be better off under this? — Students benefit directly from being taught by better-prepared educators through strengthened teacher preparation and residency programs. Would students be better off under this? — Students across all grade levels benefit from reforms ensuring educators develop core teaching skills and evidence-based instructional practices. Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this? — Aspiring teachers, recent college graduates, and residency participants receive living stipends, salaries, and structured training pathways. Would Black Americans be better off under this? — The bill provides explicit support for Predominantly Black Institutions and Historically Black Colleges and Universities to enhance educator preparation programs. Would Hispanic Americans be better off under this? — Hispanic-Serving Institutions receive targeted funding authorizations to establish and enhance teacher and school leader education programs. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — The bill directs significant resources toward high-need schools and local educational agencies serving children from low-income families. Would Native Americans be better off under this? — Tribal Colleges and Universities and Alaska Native-Serving Institutions receive specific authorization to enhance educator preparation programs. Would people in rural areas be better off under this? — The bill prioritizes addressing rural teacher and leader shortages and supports partnerships involving rural school districts. Would Asian Americans be better off under this? — Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions are included in expanded institutional aid provisions. Would people in middle age be better off under this? — Mid-career professionals seeking to transition into education benefit from alternative certification pathways and Grow Your Own programs. Would people with disabilities be better off under this? — Teacher preparation programs are required to train educators to effectively serve students with disabilities and participate in individualized education program teams. Would people in cities be better off under this? — Urban school districts facing staffing shortages and high-need student populations benefit from targeted partnership grants. Would veterans be better off under this, taking everything together? — Veterans and former military personnel are explicitly prioritized for recruitment into teaching and school leadership roles through alternative pathways. Would middle-income households be better off under this? — Middle-income families benefit from improved educational quality and support for prospective educators entering the workforce.
- Education And Technology
- Does this put more money into public schools? — The legislation authorizes substantial grant funding for teacher and school leader quality enhancement and expands allowable uses for institutional aid at colleges and universities. Does this make college cost less? — The bill provides stipends, salaries, and financial aid support for participants in teaching residencies and Grow Your Own educator preparation programs.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this narrow racial gaps in how people are treated? — The legislation supports minority-serving institutions and Grow Your Own programs designed to increase the diversity of the teacher and school leader workforce. Is this likely to lift people out of poverty? — Targeting high-need schools and low-income areas with better-prepared educators helps improve educational equity and long-term economic mobility.
- Economy And Finance
- Is this likely to create jobs? — The bill authorizes competitive partnership grants to fund teacher residencies and Grow Your Own programs, which support the creation of educator and school leadership roles. Is this likely to grow the economy? — Enhancing educator quality and institutional aid supports long-term workforce development and educational outcomes that benefit the broader economy.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — The legislation mandates detailed annual institutional and state report cards on the quality, performance, and outcomes of teacher and school leader preparation programs. Does this give the federal government more power? — The bill establishes federal accountability standards, reporting requirements, and institutional report cards overseen by the Secretary of Education.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this invest in rural communities? — The bill specifically addresses teacher and school leader shortages in rural communities and supports rural school districts through targeted grant preferences.
- 9/24/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
2 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Susan CollinsRepublican · Maine