CA AB2181

Establishes the Uplift Teaching Corps Grant Program administered by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to provide one-time competitive grants to school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools for teacher-based residency programs.

Grant recipients must recruit and retain prospective resident teachers with high instructional and cultural competence to teach in high-needs schools, with priority given to applicants based on per pupil allocation of federal Title II funds.

Requires grant applicants to demonstrate difficulty recruiting teachers, significant teacher turnover, a disproportionate number of novice teachers compared to statewide average, receipt of federal Title I funds, and commitment to increasing diversity in the teaching force.

Resident teachers must complete at least nine months of teaching under a mentor teacher's supervision and commit to four years of teaching in a high-needs school with chronic shortages within the grant recipient, with five years total to complete the requirement.

Grant recipients must provide a 100-percent match of grant funding and design residency programs including culturally responsive instruction, structured feedback systems, mentor teacher training and compensation, and financial assistance with stipends for resident teachers.