science, technology, engineering, or mathematics professionals, including retiring professionals in those fields, who shall be referred to as “National Science Foundation Teaching Fellows” and who, in the first year of the fellowship, are enrolled in a master’s degree program leading to teacher certification or licensing; and

mathematics and science teachers, who shall be referred to as “National Science Foundation Master Teaching Fellows” and who possess a master’s or bachelor’s degree in their field.

a school or department within an institution of higher education participating in the partnership that provides a teacher preparation program; or

a 2-year institution of higher education that has a teacher preparation offering or a dual enrollment program with an institution of higher education participating in the partnership;

offering academic courses and clinical teaching experiences leading to a master’s degree and designed to prepare individuals to teach in elementary schools and secondary schools, including such preparation as is necessary to meet the requirements for certification or licensing; and

offering programs both during and after matriculation in the program for which the fellowship is received to enable fellows to become highly effective mathematics and science teachers, including mentoring, training, induction, and professional development activities, to fulfill the service requirements of this section, including the requirements of subsection (e), and to exchange ideas with others in their fields;

offering academic courses and leadership training to prepare individuals to become master teachers in elementary schools and secondary schools; and

offering programs both during and after matriculation in the program for which the fellowship is received to enable fellows to become highly effective mathematics and science teachers, including mentoring, training, induction, and professional development activities, to fulfill the service requirements of this section, including the requirements of subsection (e), and to exchange ideas with others in their fields; and

offering academic courses leading to a master’s degree and leadership training to prepare individuals to become master teachers in elementary and secondary schools;

offering programs both during and after matriculation in the program for which the fellowship is received to enable fellows to become highly effective mathematics and science teachers, including mentoring, training, induction, and professional development activities, to fulfill the service requirements of this section, including the requirements of subsection (e), and to exchange ideas with others in their fields; and

providing internship opportunities for fellows, including research experiences at national laboratories and NASA Centers.

in the case of an applicant that is submitting an application on behalf of a consortium of institutions of higher education, a description of the participating institutions of higher education and the roles and responsibilities of each such institution;

a description of the program that the applicant intends to operate, including the number of fellowships the applicant intends to award, the type of activities proposed for the recruitment of students to the program, and the amount of the teaching fellowship salary supplements to be provided in accordance with subsection (f);

evidence that the applicant has the capability to administer the program in accordance with the provisions of this section, which may include a description of any existing programs at the applicant eligible entity (and participating institutions of higher education of the consortium, if applicable) that are targeted to the education of mathematics and science teachers and the number of teachers graduated annually from such programs;

evidence that the eligible entity will provide the teaching supplements required under subsection (f); and

a description of the process the applicant will use to fulfill the requirements of section 1862n–1(f) of this title.

the ability of the applicant (and participating institutions of higher education of the consortium, if applicable) to effectively carry out the program and to meet the requirements of subsection (f);

the extent to which the mathematics, science, or engineering faculty and the education faculty at the eligible entity (and participating institutions of higher education of the consortium, if applicable) have worked or will work collaboratively to design new or revised curricula that recognizes the specialized pedagogy required to teach science, technology, engineering, and mathematics effectively in elementary schools and secondary schools;

the extent to which the applicant (and participating institutions of higher education of the consortium, if applicable) is committed to making the program a central organizational focus;

the degree to which the proposed programming will enable participants to become highly effective mathematics and science teachers and prepare such participants to assume leadership roles in their schools, in addition to their regular classroom duties, including serving as mentor or master teachers, developing curriculum, and assisting in the development and implementation of professional development activities;

the number and quality of the individuals that will be served by the program; and

in the case of the National Science Foundation Teaching Fellowship, the ability of the applicant (and participating institutions of higher education of the consortium, if applicable) to recruit individuals who would otherwise not pursue a career in teaching, individuals identified in section 1885a or 1885b of this title, and veterans.

in the case of grants in an amount of less than $1,500,000, an amount equal to at least 30 percent of the amount of the grant, at least one half of which shall be in cash; and

in the case of grants in an amount of $1,500,000 or more, an amount equal to at least 50 percent of the amount of the grant, at least one half of which shall be in cash.

for a National Science Foundation Teaching Fellow, the total amount of fellowship award received by the individual under this section while enrolled in the master’s degree program, reduced by one-fourth of the total amount for each year of service completed, plus one-half of the total teaching fellowship salary supplements received by such individual under this section, shall be repaid or such amount shall be treated as a loan to be repaid in accordance with section 1862n–1(g)(1)(C) of this title; and

for a National Science Foundation Master Teaching Fellow, the total amount of teaching fellowship salary supplements received by the individual under this section, reduced by one-half, shall be repaid or such amount shall be treated as a loan to be repaid in accordance with section 1862n–1(g)(1)(C) of this title.

fulfill the service obligation required under subsection (h); and

remain in the teaching profession in a high need local educational agency beyond the service obligation.

partnering with nonprofit or professional associations or with other government entities to provide individuals receiving fellowships under this section with opportunities for professional development, including mentorship programs that pair those individuals with currently employed and recently retired science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or computer science professionals;

increasing recruitment from high need districts;

establishing a system to better collect, track, and respond to data on the career decisions of individuals receiving fellowships under this section;

conducting research to better understand factors relevant to teacher service and retention, including factors specifically impacting the retention of teachers who are individuals identified in sections 1885a and 1885b of this title; and

conducting pilot programs to improve teacher service and retention.