Biden-Harris Administration Announces $28 Million in Grants to Develop a Diverse Educator Workforce
The U.S. Department of Education (Department) announced more than $28 million in new awards in the Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) program to recruit, prepare, develop, and retain a strong, effective, and diverse educator workforce for classrooms across the country.
The Department also released new data showing the breakdown of borrowers approved for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) in every state. The data showcase how every state has borrowers, including educators, that are part of the $69.2 billion for nearly 947,000 borrowers that have seen relief through this program. By contrast, at the start of this Administration, only 7,000 had been approved for PSLF.
“Nothing matters more in public education than making sure every child has access to great teachers, and that means well-prepared, well-supported, well-compensated, and fully empowered teachers,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “Today’s announcement is the result of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to making record investments in teacher residency programs, Grow Your Own programs, teacher apprenticeship, and other comprehensive, high-quality, locally-driven, evidence-based educator preparation initiatives. If we want to Raise the Bar for our students and create an educator workforce that reflects the beautiful diversity of this country, we must expand and support new pathways into the teaching profession.”
This announcement comes as Secretary Cardona is embarking on his 2024 Back to School Bus Tour with stops in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. This year’s theme, “Fighting for Public Education,” highlights how school communities are using the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic investments in public education to implement evidence-based, promising, and innovative strategies and accelerate academic success and support students of all ages and backgrounds. The 2024 Bus Tour is celebrating public education as the American system that opened the door for so many of our nation’s success stories: from astronauts to astrophysicists, writers to engineers, musicians to mathematicians, innovative entrepreneurs in the private sector to great leaders in the public sector.
Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) grants
To support efforts to recruit, prepare, develop, and retain a strong educator workforce, the Department is awarding $28 million in 18 new TQP grants. The TQP program funds teacher preparation programs in high-need communities at colleges and universities for the undergraduate, “fifth-year” level, and for teaching residency programs for individuals new to teaching with strong academic and professional backgrounds. The central feature of all TQP grantees is a strong partnership between the teacher preparation program and the school districts they serve, which is often facilitated by mentor teachers who coach and prepare incoming educators. In addition, numerous awardees responded to an invitational priority, focused on the establishment of Grow Your Own (GYO) and registered apprenticeship programs for teachers. These programs encourage members of the community – from high school students to paraprofessionals and other career changers – to pursue teaching careers while also enhancing educator diversity, reflecting the Department’s interest in learning from applicants proposing GYO projects.
The Biden-Harris Administration has increased annual funding for this program by 34% or nearly $18 million per year. At the same time, the Department has worked with States and the U.S. Department of Labor to grow the number that have approved registered apprenticeship programs for teachers, from 0 in 2021 to 38 States, D.C., and Puerto Rico today, and, in total, hundreds of millions in Department funds have been invested in Grow Your Own programs.
A list of all the FY 24 grantees can be found on the Department’s website.
Tags: federal issues, funding, workforce development
