Effective Educator Development Programs: Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP)

Overview

The purposes of the Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) program are to improve student achievement; improve the quality of prospective and new teachers by improving the preparation of prospective teachers and enhancing professional development activities for new teachers; hold teacher preparation programs at institutions of higher education (IHEs) accountable for preparing teachers who meet applicable State certification and licensure requirements; and recruit highly qualified individuals, including individuals of color and individuals from other occupations, into the teaching force. 

Background: The Department is committed to recruiting, preparing, and retaining racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse educators to the teaching workforce. This commitment includes promoting educator diversity and ensuring that education is a profession that people from all backgrounds can pursue by supporting comprehensive, high-quality and affordable pathways into the profession. The Department thinks preparing, developing and supporting a diverse educator workforce is critical to strengthening student success. Additionally, addressing high-need shortage areas helps to ensure all students have access to a high-quality, well-rounded education. Through Raise the Bar: Lead the World, the Department is working in partnership with States, Tribes, local educational agencies (LEAs), and educator preparation programs, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), to eliminate educator shortages in our nation’s schools and to strengthen and diversify the education profession. The priorities used in this FY 2024 TQP competition both highlight and advance the goals of Raise the Bar to ultimately improve student achievement by placing highly qualified, diverse educators in classrooms across the country. The TQP program supports ‘‘eligible partnerships’’ that pair a high-need LEA, a high-need school served by the LEA, or a high-need early childhood education (ECE) program with a partner institution that includes a school, department, or program of education within such partner institution, and a school or department of arts and sciences within such partner institution. Such partnerships also may include certain other entities described below. Under section 202(d) and (e) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), these partnerships must implement either (a) teacher preparation programs at the pre baccalaureate or ‘‘fifth-year’’ level that include specific reforms in IHEs’ existing teacher preparation programs; or (b) teacher residency programs for individuals who are recent graduates with strong academic backgrounds or are mid-career professionals from outside the field of education. 

Priorities: This notice contains four absolute priorities, four competitive preference priorities, and two invitational priorities. 

Absolute Priorities: For FY 2024 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this competition, these priorities are absolute priorities. All applications must address only one of the four absolute priorities. Each of the four absolute priorities constitutes its own funding category. Assuming that applications in each funding category are of sufficient quality, the Secretary intends to award grants under each absolute priority. 

• Absolute Priority 1—Partnership Grants for the Preparation of Teachers.
• Absolute Priority 2—Partnership Grants for the Establishment of Effective Teaching Residency Programs.
• Absolute Priority 3—Partnership Grants for the Development of Leadership Programs in Conjunction With the Preparation of a Pre-Baccalaureate Model for Teachers.
• Absolute Priority 4—Partnership Grants for the Development of Leadership Programs in Conjunction With the Establishment of an Effective Teaching Residency Program.

Competitive Preference Priorities: For FY 2024 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this competition, these priorities are competitive preference priorities. 

• Competitive Preference Priority 1—Increasing Educator Diversity
• Competitive Preference Priority 2—Supporting a Diverse Educator Workforce and Professional Growth To Strengthen Student Learning
• Competitive Preference Priority 3—Meeting Student Social, Emotional, and Academic Needs
• Competitive Preference Priority 4—Promoting Equity in Student Access to Educational Resources and Opportunities

Invitational Priorities: For FY 2024 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this competition, these priorities are invitational priorities.

• Invitational Priority 1—Partnership Grants for the Establishment of GYO Programs and Registered Apprenticeship Programs for K–12 Teachers.
• Invitational Priority 2—Supporting Early Elementary Educators and School Leaders.

*See funding opportunity notice for full details.

Cost Sharing or Matching: Each grant recipient must provide, from non-Federal sources, an amount equal to 100 percent of the amount of the grant, which may be provided in cash or in-kind, to carry out the activities supported by the grant.

Eligible Applicants: An eligible applicant must be an ‘‘eligible partnership’’ as defined in section 200(6) of the HEA. The term ‘‘eligible partnership’’ means an entity that— 
(1) Must include: (i) A high-need local educational agency (LEA); (ii)(A) A high-need school or a consortium of high-need schools served by the high-need LEA; or (B) As applicable, a high-need ECE program; (iii) A partner institution; (iv) A school, department, or program of education within such partner institution, which may include an existing teacher professional development program with proven outcomes within a four-year IHE that provides intensive and sustained collaboration between faculty and LEAs consistent with the requirements of title II of the HEA; and (v) A school or department of arts and sciences within such partner institution; and 
(2) May include any of the following: (i) The Governor of the State. (ii) The State educational agency (SEA). (iii) The State board of education. (iv) The State agency for higher education. (v) A business. (vi) A public or private nonprofit educational organization. (vii) An educational service agency. (viii) A teacher organization. (ix) A high-performing LEA, or a consortium of such LEAs, that can serve as a resource to the partnership. (x) A charter school. (xi) A school or department within the partner institution that focuses on psychology and human development. (xii) A school or department within the partner institution with comparable expertise in the disciplines of teaching, learning, and child and adolescent development. (xiii) An entity operating a program that provides alternative routes to State certification of teachers.

Deadlines  
Deadline for notice of intent to apply: Applicants are strongly encouraged, but not required, to submit a notice of intent to apply by May 6, 2024. 
Deadline for transmittal of applications: June 3, 2024.  

Award Information 
Estimated Available Funds: $25,000,000. We intend to use an estimated $25,000,000 for this FY 2024 competition. Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of applications, we may make additional awards in subsequent years from the list of unfunded applications from this competition. 
Estimated Range of Awards: $500,000–$2,000,000. 
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $1,000,000 for the first year of the project. Funding for the second, third, fourth, and fifth years is subject to the availability of funds and the approval of continuation awards. 
Maximum Award: We will not make an award exceeding $2,000,000 to any applicant per 12-month budget period. 
Estimated Number of Awards: 15–17. 

Project Period: 60 months.

Pre-application webinars:  https://oese.ed.gov/offices/officeofdiscretionary- grants-support-services/ effective-educator-developmentprograms/ teacher-quality-partnership/ applicant-info-and-eligibility.