Federal

In December 2015, Congress reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which authorizes federal programs that support and regulate PK-12 public education. The new law is titled the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Title II of ESSA, “Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High-Quality Teachers, Principals, or Other School Leaders,” authorizes programs at the local, state, and national levels to support the preparation and professional development of school personnel.

Title II is composed of a state allotment (Part A) and competitive grant programs (Part B). The allotment of Title II-A funds for each state is administered by the state education agency, and 95% of the allotment goes to local education agencies for programming, with the other 5% at the state level for programming. The law offers 16 allowable uses of funds at the local level and 21 allowable uses of funds at the state level. In addition, Title II offers national competitive grant programs: the Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program, Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation, American History and Civics Education, and Programs of National Significance. Multiple opportunities exist for educator preparation to engage with PK-12 partners and other stakeholders to strengthen and transform programs through the Title II-A grants that go to each state.

Consolidated State Plans in Process

Each state submitted a Consolidated State Plan (CSP) to the U.S. Department of Education in 2017 explaining how they intend to use Title I and Title II funds.

It is critical that educator preparation professionals remain engaged with state education agencies, PK-12 colleagues, and other education stakeholders to continue to strengthen and reform educator preparation through Title II of ESSA. Review your state’s CSP and get at the table to participate in the implementation of this new law.

Last Updated February 2021

The Higher Education Act (HEA) authorizes many federal student financial aid programs and competitive grants to support innovation in higher education, reporting requirements for institutions, and much more. The current statute was signed into law in August 2008 and included substantive changes impacting educator preparation.

Title II of HEA emphasizes strengthening the clinical components of preparation programs and ensuring that all candidates are prepared to teach students with special needs and English language learners. Part A of Title II includes provisions on program accountability and evaluation (including program data collection, state and institutional report cards, and identifying low-performing programs). Also featured in Part A is the Teacher Quality Partnership grant program, the only federal initiative designed to strengthen and reform teacher preparation in concert with higher education.

Part B of Title II features provisions for increasing educator diversity, educator use of technology in classrooms, and the creation of an adjunct teacher corps to recruit and train individuals with subject matter expertise to staff high-need fields. Additionally, Part B includes a grant program to prepare general education teachers to more effectively educate students with disabilities. However, these programs have not received funding to support the goals of the programs.

Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) grants are authorized in the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which was enacted into law in fall 2007 to amend Title IV, Part A, of the Higher Education Act.

These non-need-based grants are used to recruit teachers into hard-to-staff fields and hard-to-staff schools. Grants of up to $16,000 ($4,000/year) for undergraduates and $8,000 for graduate students preparing to be teachers in high-need fields can be used to cover the cost of tuition and related expenses. Students at eligible institutions qualify to receive TEACH grants by scoring in the top 25th percentile on college admissions tests such as the SAT or ACT and remain eligible by maintaining at least a cumulative 3.25 GPA.

Upon completion of their program, grantees must complete a 4-year teaching service obligation in a high-need field at a school that receives Title I funds. Note that if the service obligation is not completed, the TEACH grant funds convert to a loan for which the recipient is responsible.

In order to offer TEACH grants, both the teacher preparation program and the host institution must meet eligibility requirements. For details, see the U.S. Department of Education Office of Federal Student Aid.

Read AACTE’s recommendations to improve TEACH Grants.

Last Updated September 2021

The Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) grant program, authorized in Title II of the Higher Education Act, is the only federal initiative designed to strengthen and reform educator preparation at institutions of higher education.

TQP grants support the preparation of profession-ready teachers for high-need schools and high-need subject areas. Under this program, partnerships between institutions of higher education and high-need schools and districts compete for funding to develop master’s-level residency programs or to reform undergraduate preservice preparation programs.

Program Highlights

• Grantees are partnerships among institutions of higher education, high-need local education agencies, high-need schools, and other eligible entities that work together to develop a pipeline of profession-ready teachers.
• Grantees are required to provide extensive, yearlong clinical preparation to teacher candidates.
• Grantees must provide an induction program for at least the first two years of a graduate’s teaching career.
• Candidates participating in teaching residency programs commit to teaching for at least three years in a high-need field in the high-need district where they were prepared.
• All candidates are prepared to teach students with disabilities, to teach English language learners, and to teach literacy strategies.
• Grantees are expected to maintain the reforms even after the federal funding ends, and they must provide a 100% funding match.

Results of TQP Grants

• Schools and school districts involved in TQP are seeing improvements in the quality and retention of their teachers and in the quality of their students’ learning experiences and achievements.
• TQP grants have funded significant professional development opportunities for teachers in high-need schools, meaningful induction/mentoring programs for novice teachers, and the implementation of evidence-based reforms in teacher preparation programs.
• Teacher preparation programs at institutions of higher education have deepened their partnerships with their PK-12 colleagues and the communities they serve.

Last Updated February 2021

The Special Education Personnel Preparation program is designed to ensure that children with disabilities are supported by fully certified school personnel. Competitive grants provide research-based training and professional development to help states meet identified needs for fully certified professionals. A significant portion of the grants go to institutions of higher education to support training for special education, general education, and specialized instructional personnel to ensure that these graduates have the skills and knowledge needed to serve students with disabilities.

The program, authorized through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part D Sec. 622 (20 U.S.C. 1462 and 1481), features several required high-priority areas, including beginning special educators, personnel to serve children with low-incidence disabilities, and leadership personnel. Grants require incorporation of best practices as determined through research, evaluations, and experience.

Pathways to meeting the required priorities include partnering with states and local education agencies to ensure teachers are profession ready as they enter the classroom; addressing inequities in the distribution of effective teachers; and alleviation of ongoing personnel shortages of teachers and leaders who are prepared to provide evidence-based services for children with disabilities.

Program performance information indicates that 95% of grants incorporate scientifically or evidence-based practices; that only 1% of scholars exit training programs prior to completion due to poor academic performance; and that 93% of degree/certification recipients work in the area(s) for which they were trained.

Last Updated February 2021

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) was created in 2002 through the Education Science Reform Act (ESRA, Title I of P.L. 107-279) as an independent research arm of the U.S. Department of Education. IES conducts broad types of research and work that addresses school readiness and education from infancy through adulthood and includes special populations such as English language learners and students with disabilities. The IES director provides a biennial report to Congress on the status of grantees, providing a brief overview and highlights of the projects that IES and each of its research centers is overseeing.

IES is composed of four research centers:

National Center for Education Research (NCER)
NCER supports research activities to improve the quality of education and thereby increase student academic achievement, reduce the achievement gap between high-performing and low-performing students, and increase access to and completion of postsecondary education.

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
NCES is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the United States and other nations. NCES supports the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems program, and the College Navigator.

National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE)
NCEE is responsible for conducting evaluations of federal programs, synthesizing and disseminating information from evaluation and research, and providing technical assistance. NCEE supports the “What Works Clearinghouse,” Regional Educational Laboratories, and the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC).

National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER)
NCSER supports rigorous research on infants, toddlers, children, and youth with and at risk for disabilities through advancing the understanding of and practices for teaching, learning, and organizing education systems.

Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs)

To assist IES in conducting research, 10 Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs) throughout the United States work to bridge the disconnect that sometimes exists between education research and practice:

• Appalachia
• Central
• Mid-Atlantic
• Midwest
• Northeast & Islands
• Northwest
• Pacific
• Southeast
• Southwest
• West

Each of the RELs assists in conducting research that is differentiated based on regional need and addresses local issues that can also benefit the entire nation. To the extent possible, RELs design their research to address the needs of the local communities based on input from stakeholders.

Last Updated February 2021

118 Congress (2023-2024) 

House of Representatives

H.R. 2639 

A bill to establish a grant program supporting the development, implementation, and evaluation of comprehensive strategies to address the effects of racial isolation or concentrated poverty by increasing diversity, including racial diversity and socioeconomic diversity, in covered schools. 

Also known as The Strength in Diversity Act of 2023 

Sponsor:  Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) 

H.R. 3727 

A bill to require the Director of the National Institutes of Health to carry out a study to add to the scientific knowledge on reducing teacher stress and increasing teacher retention and well-being, and for other purposes. 

Also known as the Teacher Health and Wellness Act 

Sponsor:  Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) 

H.R. 4337  

A bill to expand access to graduate education by amending the Federal Pell Grant program to include postbaccalaureate study 

Also known as the Expanding Access to Graduate Education Act of 2023 

Sponsor: Rep. Ann Kuster (D-NH) 

H.R. 126
A bill to direct the Election Assistance Commission to carry out a pilot program under which the Commission shall provide funds to local educational agencies for initiatives to provide voter registration information to secondary school students in the 12th grade. 

Also Known As: The Students Voicing Opinions in Today’s Elections (VOTE) Act
Sponsor: Rep. Al Green (D-TX)  

H.R. 460
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide additional amounts of loan forgiveness to teachers of English learners and teachers of bilingual and dual language immersion students, and for other purposes. 

Also Known As: The Supporting Providers of English Language Learning (SPELL) Act
Sponsor: Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) 

H.R. 511
A bill to assist States in, and pay for the Federal share of the cost of, defraying the cost of pre-apprenticeships or related instruction associated with qualified apprenticeship programs, and for other purposes. 

Also Known As: The American Apprenticeship Act
Sponsor: Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) 

H.R. 882
A bill to provide grants to State educational agencies to support State efforts to increase teacher salaries, and for other purposes. 

Also Known As: The American Teacher Act
Sponsor: Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL) 

H.R. 1387 

A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to increase civics education programs.  

Also Known As: The Civics Learning Act
Sponsor: Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) 

H.R. 1429
A bill to provide for a Federal partnership to ensure educational equity and quality. 

Also Known As: The TRUE EQUITY Act 
Sponsor: Rep. David Trone (D-MD) 

H.R. 1436
A bill to provide additional funding for scholarships for students at 1890 institutions. 

Sponsor: Rep. David Scott (D-GA) 

H.R. 1731
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to double the Pell Grant award amount, improve the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, and reduce interest rates, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL) 

H.R 1742
A bill to index the maximum value of Federal Pell Grants to inflation.
Sponsor: Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) 

H.R. 1757
A bill to provide enhanced student loan relief to educators.
Sponsor: Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM) 

Senate

S.1661

A bill to establish a grant program supporting the development, implementation, and evaluation of comprehensive strategies to address the effects of racial isolation or concentrated poverty by increasing diversity, including racial diversity and socioeconomic diversity, in covered schools. 

Also known as The Strength in Diversity Act of 2023 

Sponsor:  Sen. Christopher Murphy (D-CT) 

S. 83
A bill to assist States in and pay for the Federal share of the cost of, defraying the cost of pre-apprenticeships or related instruction associated with qualified apprenticeship programs, and for other purposes.

Also Known As: The American Apprenticeship Act
Sponsor: Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) 

S. 343
A bill to support the establishment of an apprenticeship college consortium.

Also Known As: The Apprenticeships to College Act
Sponsor: Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) 

S. 667
A bill to provide for a Federal partnership to ensure educational equity and quality

Also Known As: The TRUE EQUITY Act 
Sponsor: Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) 

S. 766
A bill to ensure that teachers are paid a livable and competitive salary throughout their career, and for other purposes.

Also Known As: The Pay Teachers Act
Sponsor: Sen. Bernie Sander (I-VT) 

S. 963
A bill to provide enhanced student loan relief to educators.
Sponsor: Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) 

Note:  Please click on the link included in the bill number for more information.  To read the bill text, please visit congress.gov.