National Center on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), and Other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to Diversify the Workforce Serving Children with Disabilities

Overview

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, toddlers, and youth with disabilities; and (2) ensure that those personnel have the necessary knowledge, skills, and competencies derived from practices that have been determined through scientifically based research, to be successful in serving those children.

Supporting HBCUs, TCCUs, and other MSIs to improve or develop high-quality degree or certification programs of study, and to receive and successfully implement Federal personnel preparation grants, would increase the number of multilingual and racially and ethnically diverse personnel with the necessary knowledge, skills, and competencies to serve children with disabilities in early intervention, early childhood special education, special education, and related services. This priority is consistent with the Secretary’s Supplemental Priority, which is related to supporting a diverse educator workforce and professional growth to strengthen student learning. See Secretary’s Final Supplemental Priorities and Definitions for Discretionary Grants

Priority

The purpose of this priority is to fund a cooperative agreement to establish and operate a National Technical Assistance Center to Diversify the Workforce Serving Children with Disabilities (Center) by supporting HBCUs,2 TCCUs,3 and other MSIs 4 that offer high-quality degree 5 or certification programs in early intervention, early childhood special education, special education, or related services. This priority is:

National Center on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, and Other Minority Serving Institutions to Diversify the Workforce Serving Children with Disabilities.

The Center must achieve, at a minimum, the following expected outcomes:

(a) Improve the capacity of HBCUs, TCCUs, and MSIs to improve or develop high-quality degree programs that integrate effective, equitable, evidence-based, and culturally and linguistically responsive instruction, interventions, and services in inclusive settings to prepare early intervention, early childhood special education, special education, and related services personnel with the competencies necessary to provide services to children with disabilities, including those who are multilingual and those from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds; 

(b) Increase the numbers of HBCUs, TCCUs, and other MSIs that are aware of, apply for, and successfully receive and implement Federal grants to prepare early intervention, early childhood special education, special education, and related services personnel to serve children with disabilities, including those who are multilingual and from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds; and

(c) Increase collaboration, networking, and mentorship among faculty at HBCUs, TCCUs, and other MSIs to increase their capacity to improve or develop high-quality degree programs, and receive and implement Federal grants to prepare early intervention, special education, and related services personnel to serve children with disabilities, including those who are multilingual and from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds. 

Applicants for, and recipients of, funding must, with respect to the aspects of their proposed project relating to the absolute priority, involve individuals with disabilities, or parents of individuals with disabilities ages birth through 26, in planning, implementing, and evaluating the project

Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested $250,000,000 for the Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities program for FY 2024, of which we intend to use an estimated $1,500,000 for this competition. 

Maximum Award: We will not make an award exceeding $1,500,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. 
Estimated Number of Awards: 1.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.