Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA): National Professional Development (NPD) Program Assistance

Overview

<p>The NPD program is a Federal grant program that offers professional development specifically for educators of ELs. To improve the academic achievement of ELs, the NPD program supports pre-service and in-service instruction for teachers and other staff, including school leaders, working with ELs. The purpose of these grants is to provide professional development activities that will improve classroom instruction for English learners (ELs) and assist educational personnel working with such children to meet high professional standards, including standards for certification and licensure as teachers who work in language instruction educational programs or serve ELs.</p> <p>This notice includes one absolute priority, two competitive preference priorities, and one invitational priority.</p> <p><strong>Absolute Priority:</strong> Providing Professional Development To Improve Instruction for English Learners. Under this priority we provide funding to projects that provide professional development activities that will improve classroom instruction for ELs and assist educational personnel working with ELs to meet high professional standards, including standards for certification and licensure as teachers who work in language instruction educational programs or serve ELs.</p> <p>Applicants may address none, one, or both of the competitive preference priorities.</p> <p><strong>Competitive Preference Priority 1</strong>—Moderate Evidence (0 or 5 points). Applications proposing projects supported by evidence that meets the conditions in the definition of ‘‘moderate evidence.’’ To encourage the use of evidence to increase the effectiveness of projects funded by NPD, the Department has included Competitive Preference Priority 1 for projects designed to improve academic outcomes for Els using strategies supported by moderate evidence. While we are encouraged by the growing body of evidence supporting effective EL instruction, this competition is designed to promote further study of pre-and in-service professional development models for EL educators. We encourage NPD applicants to design rigorous evaluations of their proposed activities that, if well-implemented, would meet the WWC Evidence Standards With Reservations.</p> <p><strong>Competitive Preference Priority 2</strong>—Promoting Literacy (up to 5 points). Projects that are designed to address one or both of the following priority areas: </p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:1em">(a) Providing families with evidence-based strategies for promoting literacy. This may include providing families with access to books or other physical or digital materials or content about how to </span><span style="font-size:1em">support their child’s reading development, or providing family literacy activities (as defined in section 203(9) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act). </span></li> <li>(b) Facilitating the accurate and timely use of data by educators to improve reading instruction and make informed decisions about how to help children or students build literacy skills while protecting their student and family privacy.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Invitational Priority—</strong>Dual Language Approaches. We encourage applicants to propose projects to improve educator preparation and professional learning for dual language implementation models to support effective instruction for ELs. In particular, we encourage such approaches to take into account the unique needs of recently arrived EL students, immigrant children and youth, and Native American students who are members of Federally recognized Indian Tribes.</p> <p>Grants awarded under this program may be used—</p> <ol> <li>For effective pre-service or inservice professional development programs that will improve the qualifications and skills of educational personnel involved in the education of ELs, including personnel who are not certified or licensed and educational paraprofessionals, and for other activities to increase teacher and school leader effectiveness in meeting the needs of ELs;</li> <li>For the development of program curricula appropriate to the needs of the consortia participants involved;</li> <li>To support strategies that strengthen and increase parent, family, and community member engagement in the education of ELs;</li> <li>To develop, share, and disseminate effective practices in the instruction of ELs and in increasing the academic achievement of ELs, including the use of technology-based programs;</li> <li>In conjunction with other Federal need-based student financial assistance programs, for financial assistance, including costs related to tuition, fees, and books for enrolling in courses required to complete the degree involved, to meet certification or licensing requirements for teachers who work in language instruction educational programs or serve ELs; and</li> <li>As appropriate, to support strategies that promote school readiness of ELs and their transition from early childhood education programs, such as Head Start or State-run preschool programs, to elementary school programs.</li> </ol>