DOEd:OSERS:OSEP: Personnel Development To Improve Services and Results for Children With Disabilities—Preparation of Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services Leadership Personnel

Overview

The purposes of this program are to (1) help address State-identified needs for personnel preparation in special education, early intervention, related services, and regular education to work with children, including infants and toddlers, with disabilities; and (2) ensure that those personnel have the necessary skills and knowledge, derived from practices that have been determined through scientifically based research and experience, to be successful in serving those children.

Priority: This competition includes one absolute priority and, within that absolute priority, two competitive preference priorities. 

• The Absolute priority is: Preparation of Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services Leadership Personnel. The purpose of this priority is to support doctoral degree programs to prepare and increase the number of personnel who are well-qualified for, and can act effectively in, leadership positions as researchers and special education/early intervention/related services personnel preparers in IHEs, or as leaders in SEAs, LAs under Part C of IDEA, LEAs, or EIS programs, including increasing the number of multilingual leadership personnel and leadership personnel from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds at the doctoral level in special education, early intervention, and related services. Proposed projects must be designed to prepare graduates to be well-qualified for, and act effectively in, leadership
  positions as researchers and special education/early intervention/related services personnel preparers in IHEs, or as leaders in SEAs, LAs, LEAs, or EIS programs. Projects must support a program that culminates in a doctoral degree (Ph.D. or Ed.D.)
  
  To be considered for funding under this absolute priority, applicants must meet the application requirements
  contained in the priority. All projects funded under this absolute priority also must meet the programmatic and administrative requirements specified in the priority.
• Competitive Preference Priority 1—Applications from New Potential Grantees (0 or 3 points). 
• Competitive Preference Priority 2—Partnership Applications that Include Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) (0
  or 3 points).

Estimated Average Size of Awards: $1,200,000 for an individual IHE; $2,400,000 for a two-IHE group application; and $3,600,000 for a three- IHE group application.

Note: Eligible applicants include partnerships 1 that are comprised of two or three IHEs with doctoral  programs that prepare scholars 2 and otherwise meet the eligibility requirements. 
Note: Project periods under this priority may be up to 60 months. Projects should be designed to ensure that all proposed scholars successfully complete the program within 60 months from the start of the project. The Secretary may reduce continuation awards for any project in which scholars are not on track to complete the program by the end of that period.

Note: Preparation programs that lead to clinical doctoral degrees in related services (e.g., a Doctor of  audiology degree or Doctor of Physical Therapy degree) are not included in this priority. These types of preparation programs are eligible to apply for funding under the Preparation of Early Intervention and Special Education Personnel Serving Children with Disabilities who have High-Intensity Needs (84.325K), Preparation of Related Services Personnel Serving Children with Disabilities who have High-Intensity Needs priority (84.325R), or the Personnel Preparation of Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services Personnel at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, and other Minority Serving Institutions priority (84.325M) that the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) intends to fund in FY 2024.