; and (2) second priority to applications that address issues of major national need, including— (A) innovative partnerships between minority-serving institutions and local educational agencies that are designed to increase the enrollment of historically underrepresented populations in higher education; (B) 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; (C) educational innovations that support programs and initiatives at 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