1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Equal Access to Quality Education Act of 2017 . 2. Equal access to quality education grant program (a) In general The Secretary of Education shall make grants on a competitive basis to eligible partnerships in high-need areas to— (1) develop and strengthen high-quality pathways for the teaching and education leadership professions; (2) create professional induction programs for the teaching profession; and (3) provide a stable and collaborative learning environment for educators and students. (b) Purposes The purposes of the grant program established under this section shall be to— (1) increase the percentage of profession-ready teachers in States, including teachers from under represented minority groups and teachers with disabilities; (2) close the achievement gap for students within subgroups that are not showing expected performance; (3) decrease shortages of profession-ready teachers in poor urban and rural areas; (4) decrease high turnover rates for educators in high-need schools; (5) increase the number of profession-ready teachers in shortage areas, including special education, bilingual education, and education for English language learners, and in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology; (6) increase opportunities for enhanced and ongoing professional development that— (A) improves the academic content knowledge of teachers in the subject areas in which teachers are certified or licensed to teach or in which the teachers are working toward certification or licensure to teach; (B) promotes strong teaching skills, including instructional strategies that address diverse needs, the use of data to inform instruction, and strategies to improve student achievement; and (C) provides time for teachers to share their knowledge and innovation