To improve student
achievement; improve the quality of the current and future teaching force by
improving the preparation of prospective teachers and enhancing professional
development activities; hold institutions of higher education accountable for
preparing teachers who have the necessary teaching skills and are highly
competent in the academic content areas in which the teachers plan to teach,
such as mathematics, science, English, foreign language, history, economics,
art, civics, Government, and geography, including training in the effective
uses of technology in the classroom; and recruit highly qualified individuals,
including individuals from other occupations, into the teaching force.
TYPES OF ASSISTANCE:
Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition
USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS:
Awards may be used to reform teacher preparation programs, reform
certification and licensure requirements, provide alternatives to traditional
preparation for teaching, create alternative routes to State certification,
develop and implement effective mechanisms for recruitment, pay, and removal
of teachers, address the problem of social promotion, and to recruit teachers.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant Eligibility:
Eligible States and partnerships consist of
high-need local educational agencies; this refers to an agency that serves an
elementary school or secondary school located in an area containing: 1) A high
percentage of individuals or families with incomes below the poverty line, 2) a
high percentage of secondary teachers not teaching in the content area that they
were trained to teach, or 3) a high teacher turnover rate. An accredited
institution of higher education, with a teacher training program must
demonstrate the following: (A) A graduate from the teacher training program
exhibits strong performance on State-determined qualifying assessments for new
teachers through demonstrating that 80 percent or more of the graduates of the
program intending to enter the field of teaching have passed all of the
applicable State qualification assessments for new teachers including an
assessment of each prospective teacher's subject matter knowledge in the content
area or areas in which the teacher intends to teach; (B) be ranked among the
highest-performing teacher preparation programs in the State as determined by
the State; (C) the teacher training program requires all the students of the
program to participate in intensive clinical experience that meets high academic
standards in the case of secondary candidates to successfully complete an
academic major in the subject area in which the candidate intends to teach; (D)
competence through a high level of performance in relevant content area; (F)
successful completion of an academic major in the arts and sciences in the case
of elementary school candidates, or (G) competence through a high level of
performance in core academic subjects areas. (Note: Entities that may constitute
a partnership are specifically listed in the Law.)
Beneficiary Eligibility:
Benefiting are students and communities
within the high-need area.
This program is eligible under Executive
Order 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An
applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point
of contact their State for more information on the process the State requires to
be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program
for review.
Application Procedure:
In any fiscal year in which funds are available
for new awards, the Department of Education publishes a notice in the Federal
Register inviting applications and establishing a deadline date. An application
package is available from the Office of Higher Education Programs. Copies are
available on the web page and will also be mailed upon request. This program is
subject to the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-110.
Award Procedure:
Peer review panels composed of representatives from
public and private higher education, State and local educational agencies with
expertise in teacher education are designated to review applications.
Deadlines:
The deadline date is published in the Federal Register.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:
Notification usually is made with
4 months of the deadline for submission of applicants.
Appeals:
None.
Renewals:
Applications for renewal of multi-year projects are
processed and funded before those for new projects. Renewals are subject to the
availability of funds.
ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:
Formula and Matching Requirements:
This program has statutory
requirements as follows: State applicants are required to match 50 percent of
the grant. Partnership applicants are required to match at 25 percent the first
year of the grants, 35 percent in the second year of grant, and 50 percent in
the third through fifth years of the grant.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:
Grants may be awarded for up to
3 years for State applicants and for up to 5 years for partnership applicants,
subject to the availability of funds.
POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Reports:
A final performance report is required.
Audits:
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A- 133
(Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and
Nonprofit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial
assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a
program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend
less than $300,000 a hear in Federal awards are exempt from Federal Audit
requirements for that year, except as noted in circular No. A-133.
Records:
Records supporting claims under a grant must be maintained
for 5 years after termination of the awards.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION:
Account Identification:
91-0201-0-1-502.
Obligations:
(Grants) FY 01 $98,000,000; FY 02 est $90,000,000; and FY
03 est $90,000,000.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance:
The fiscal year 2001
average continuation award for State grants is $1,423,000; for continuation
partnership grants $1,336,000; and for teacher recruitment continuation grants
$363,000.
In fiscal year 2001, approximately 91 awards are expected to be made. Thirty
one State grants, 33 partnerships, and 27 teacher recruitment grants.
REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:
Contact the Program Office for additional information.
INFORMATION CONTACTS:
Regional or Local Office:
Not applicable.
Headquarters Office:
Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary
Education, Higher Education Programs, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary,
400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202. Contact: Suzanne Ulmer.
Telephone: (202) 502-7899.
Web Site Address:
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/OHEP
EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS:
This is a new program; examples are not yet available.
