H.R. 10518: Diversifying by Investing in Educators and Students to Improve Outcomes For Youth Act

This bill would change the federal TEACH Grants program, which gives money to college students who agree to become teachers in certain high-need schools and subjects.

What changes to the grant program

• Increases the grant amount. The maximum annual grant would rise from $4,000 to $8,000.

• Raises lifetime limits. The total amount a student can receive would increase from $16,000 to $32,000 for some recipients, and from $8,000 to $16,000 for others, depending on the student’s program.

• Expands where recipients may work. Students could qualify by agreeing to teach not only in certain low-income elementary and secondary schools, but also in high-need early childhood education programs.

• Broadens the eligible teaching fields. The bill adds early childhood education to the list of subjects or service areas that can satisfy the program’s requirements.

• Changes how the grant can be used. If a school credits the grant directly to a student’s account, the money would have to be used for the full cost of attendance, not just certain charges.

Changes to service rules and penalties

• The bill rewrites some of the service-agreement language in the law, but the basic idea remains that recipients must complete a required teaching service after receiving the grant.

• It requires the Education Department to send an electronic certificate when a recipient finishes the service requirement.

• It says the Secretary of Education may not create a monetary penalty for failing or refusing to complete the service requirement.

Budget enforcement change

• The bill would exempt TEACH Grants from sequestration, meaning these grants would not be reduced by certain automatic federal spending cuts under the budget control law.

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