(a) The grant application shall be in a form as prescribed by the Department.

(b) The applicant must submit a new grant application every 2 years, along with any additional information the Department may request, in accordance with the Program‘s rules and regulations.

(c) The grant application must include a description of the following:

(1) Applicant‘s vision for the Program and process to develop this vision which must include input from students, educators, paraprofessionals, and cultural liaisons in the community.

(2) Applicant’s recruitment and hiring goals as they relate to educator diversity.

(3) Applicant’s staff retention goals, specifically in regard to educators of color, including current and projected hiring needs based on current staff data.

(4) Applicant’s goals and/or strategies to ensure the Program will:

a. Support candidates accepted into the Program through their postsecondary education, student teaching/residency, certification, licensure, and hiring.

b. Stress diversity, equity, and inclusion in the approach to recruiting, supporting and retaining candidates.

c. Create clear partnerships and connections between any current or proposed high school teacher academies and institutions of higher education partners to accelerate and improve credential and degree attainment.

d. Assist accepted candidates with obtaining state scholarships, loan forgiveness, and alternative routes to certification programs such as the Christa McAuliffe Teacher Program, Delaware Teacher Corps Incentive Program, Speech-Language Pathologist Incentive Program, Critical Needs Reimbursement Program, and High Needs Loan Repayment Program.

e. Seek candidates from community-based organizations, parents, and paraprofessionals who can be developed through earn and learn models.

f. Propose incentives for accepted candidates to remain employed long-term in applicant’s district or charter school.

g. Propose how Program will align with applicant’s current mentoring and induction programs for new teachers.

(5) Applicant’s current and proposed partnerships with institutions of higher education and community-based organizations to develop and implement the Program.

(6) Applicant’s plan for collecting and providing all data required by the Department for purposes of evaluating the effectiveness of the Program.

(7) Applicant’s plan to continue and sustain the Program beyond any grant awards as well as leverage other funding to support the Program.

(8) Applicant’s success in implementation of the Program, ability to leverage other funding to support the Program, and other best practices that are a result of the grant, should the applicant apply for continued funding under the grant beyond the initial 2-year period.

83 Del. Laws, c. 428, § 1;