; and (2) second priority to applications that address issues of major national need, including— (A) educational innovations designed to increase the rate of postsecondary degree attainment for populations within minority groups that have low relative rates of postsecondary degree attainment; (B) innovative partnerships between minority-serving institutions and local educational agencies that are designed to increase the enrollment and successful completion of historically underrepresented populations in higher education; (C) educational innovations that support developing programs and initiatives in minority-serving institutions to enhance undergraduate and graduate programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; (D) innovative partnerships between minority-serving institutions and other organizations to establish innovation ecosystems in support of economic development, entrepreneurship, and the commercialization of technology supported by research funded through this grant; (E) educational innovations that enhance the quality and number of traditional and alternative route teacher preparation programs at minority-serving institutions to enable teachers to be highly effective in the classroom and to enable such programs to meet the demands for diversity and accountability in teacher education; and (F) educational innovations that strengthen postgraduate employment outcomes of minority-serving institutions through the implementation of comprehensive and strategic career pathways for students. 756. Uses of funds (a) Planning grants An eligible entity receiving a planning grant under section 753(b) shall use funds made available by such grant to conduct an institutional planning process that includes— (1) an assessment of the needs of the minority-serving institution; (2) research on educational innovations described in section 751 that will meet the needs described in paragraph (1); (3) the selection of one or more such educational innovations for implementation