Federal Funds
The current reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is called No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Funding authorized by NCLB, Title II, Part A is a source that districts may choose to pay candidate fees for National Board Certification.
Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) Allowable Uses of Title II, Part A Funds
- Recruiting and retaining highly qualified teachers, including specialists in core academic subjects
- Providing scholarships, signing bonuses, or other financial incentives, such as differential pay, for teachers to teach in academic subjects in which there exists a shortage of highly qualified teachers within a school or within the LEA
- Providing professional development activities that improve the knowledge of teachers in instructional strategies, methods, and skills
- Developing and implementing initiatives (including merit pay and bonus programs) to promote the retention of highly qualified teachers, particularly within schools that have a high percentage of low-achieving students
- Initiatives may also include programs that provide teacher mentoring from exemplary teachers.
