The Texas Education Agency recently announced the opening of two competitive grant opportunities for recruiting and preparing future teachers and principals. These two grants would allow certain open-enrollment charter schools to receive funding to make available specific teacher/ school leader support and pipeline programs. Recruiting, supporting, and retaining teachers and school leaders will allow for selected schools to provide the highest quality education to their students.
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The 2020-2021 Principal Residency Grant Program will offer an opportunity for schools to build strong campus leaders and support pipelines through year-long, full-time principal residencies. Local education agencies who are selected to receive this grant will:
1. Identify potential principal candidates among current staff through a targeted recruitment and selection process.
2. Work in partnership with an effective educator preparation program (EPP) with concentrations in campus and instructional leadership.
3. Create, design, and implement a year-long, full-time residency in partnership with EPP that is focused on authentic, campus-based leadership experiences.
Qualifications and Basic Requirements for the Principal Residency Grant Program:
All local education agencies (LEAs) with at least one campus labeled “Targeted, Additional Targeted, or Comprehensive” per the 2019-2020 Title I Status and/or with at least one campus that received an “F” rating overall per the 2019 Accountability Ratings. Recorded webinar on the Principal Residency Grant Program will be available on September 30, 2019, via the Texas Education Agency website. Applications for the Principal Residency Grant Program are due November 12, 2019, by end of the business day.
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The 2020-2022 Grow Your Own Grant Program is designed to enable increased entry of qualified, diverse candidates into the teaching profession, especially in rural and small school settings. The program seeks to elevate public perception of the teaching profession through the development and facilitation of high-quality Education and Training courses at the high school level. The primary goal here is to address the challenges Texas faces in regards to recruiting and retaining teacher candidates. Applicants may select one or more pathways to achieve this goal. The pathways include:
1. Recruitment of future educators through Education and Training courses offered to high school students.
2. Recruitment and support of paraprofessionals, instructional aides, and long-term substitutes currently employed by the local education agency to transition into full-time teaching roles within the school.
3. Developing well-qualified teacher candidates through a year-long clinical teaching assignment or an intensive pre-service teacher program.
Qualifications and Requirements:
All local education agencies (LEAs) and educator preparation programs (EPPs). Recorded webinar on the Grow Your Own Grant Program will be available on September 30, 2019 via the Texas Education Agency website. Applications for the Grow Your Own Grant Program are due November 15, 2019 by end of business day.
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Contact Information:
For blog source information and inquiries regarding TEA Competitive Grants, we encourage you to visit the TEA Grant Opportunities Page. Further questions surrounding the 2020-2021 Principal Residency Grants should be emailed to Heather Salaz (principalresidency@tea.texas.gov) by October 7, 2019. Questions concerning the 2020-2022 Grow Your Own Grant Program should be emailed to Sheel Jagani (GYOgrant@tea.texas.gov) by October 11, 2019.
