OSEP: 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

Overview

The Department of Education (Department) is issuing a notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2024 for Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities— 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, Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.325M.

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 skills and knowledge, derived from practices that have been determined through scientifically based research, to be successful in serving those children.

Absolute Priority: 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.

The purpose of this priority is to prepare scholars who are fully credentialed to serve children, including infants, toddlers, and youth, with disabilities (children with disabilities). The Department is committed to promoting equity for children with disabilities in accessing educational resources and opportunities. The Department also places a high priority on increasing the number of personnel, including increasing personnel from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds and personnel who are multilingual, who provide services to children with disabilities. To support these goals, under this absolute priority, the Department will fund projects within Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) that prepare special education, early intervention, and related services personnel at the bachelor’s degree, certification, master’s degree, educational specialist degree, or clinical doctoral degree levels to serve in a variety of settings, including natural environments (the home and community settings in which children with and without disabilities participate), early learning programs, child care, classrooms, schools, and distance learning.

Competitive Preference Priority: Applications from New Potential Grantees

Focus Area A: Preparing Personnel to Serve Infants, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children with Disabilities.

This focus area is for projects that prepare early intervention, early childhood special education, and related services personnel, including scholars from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds and scholars who are multilingual, to provide services to infants, toddlers, and preschool children with disabilities.

Focus Area B: Preparing Personnel to Serve School-Age Children with Disabilities.

This focus area is for projects that prepare special education and related services personnel, including personnel from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds and personnel who are multilingual, to work with school-age children with disabilities.

 Applicants may not submit the same proposal under both Focus Area A and B. However, applicants may submit substantively different proposals for Focus Areas A and B.

Applicants under this priority may not submit the same proposal under Preparation of Related Services Personnel Serving Children with Disabilities who have High-Intensity Needs, ALN 84.325R.

Applicants may submit substantively different proposals under ALN 84.325M and ALN 84.325R.

Estimated Range of Awards:
$1,150,000–$1,250,000.

Estimated Average Size of Awards:
$1,200,000.

Maximum Award: We will not make an award exceeding $1,250,000 per project for a project period of 60 months or an award that exceeds $350,000 for any single budget period.

Cost sharing or matching is not required for this competition.