Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) Program

Overview

The Employment and Training Administration at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is soliciting applications in support of the administration of the Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) program on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education (ED).  The SEED program provides funding to increase the number of highly effective educators by supporting the implementation of evidence-based practices that prepare, develop, or enhance the skills of educators to improve student outcomes. These grants will allow eligible entities to develop, expand, and evaluate practices that can serve as models to be sustained and disseminated. 

Priorities: This notice includes four absolute priorities and three competitive preference priorities.

Absolute Priority 1: Supporting Effective Teachers 
This priority is for projects that will implement activities that are supported by moderate evidence. Applicants under this priority may propose one or more of the following activities: Providing teachers from nontraditional preparation and certification routes or pathways to serve in traditionally underserved LEAs; (a) Providing evidence-based professional development activities that address literacy, numeracy, remedial, or other needs of LEAs and the students the agencies serve; or (b) Providing teachers with evidence-based professional enhancement activities, which may include activities that lead to an advanced credential.

Absolute Priority 2: Supporting Effective Principals or Other School Leaders
This priority is for projects that will implement activities that are supported by promising evidence. Applicants under this priority may propose one or more of the following activities:
(a) Providing principals or other school leaders from nontraditional preparation and certification routes or pathways to serve in traditionally underserved LEAs; 
(b) Providing principals or other school leaders with evidence-based professional development activities that address literacy, numeracy, remedial, or other needs of LEAs and the students the agencies serve; or 
(c) Providing principals or other school leaders with evidence-based professional enhancement activities, which may include activities that lead to an advanced credential.

Absolute Priority 3: Promoting Evidence-Based Literacy
Projects or proposals to do one or more of the following: (a) Advance, increase, or expand evidence-based literacy instruction (as defined in this notice), or (b) Focus on evidence-based literacy instruction (as defined in this notice).

Absolute Priority 4: Meaningful Learning Opportunities for Students
Projects or proposals that are designed to strengthen core instruction through improving mathematics instruction to promote student achievement through one or more of the following priority areas: (a) Assisting states in developing comprehensive statewide plans to raise mathematics achievement that align with mathematics instruction based on strong, moderate, or promising evidence (as defined in 34 CFR 77.1); (b) Selecting, adopting, and/or implementing high-quality instructional materials in mathematics; or (c) Offering high-quality professional development based on strong, moderate, or promising evidence (as defined in 34 CFR 77.1) in mathematics for educators, which may include teachers, paraprofessionals, and other licensed educators or support for principals and other school leaders on managing the implementation of high-quality mathematics instruction.

Competitive Preference Priority 1: Returning Education to the States
Projects or proposals that will be carried out by entities identified, designated, or endorsed by a Governor or chief State education official for purposes of implementing the project or proposal.

Competitive Preference Priority 2: Advancing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education
Projects or proposals to expand the understanding of artificial intelligence through providing professional development for educators on the integration of the fundamentals of AI into their respective subject areas. Note: This may include AI literacy. Please see DOL’s Artificial Intelligence Literacy Framework for additional background and a resource.

Competitive Preference Priority 3: Career Pathways and Workforce Readiness
Projects or proposals that are designed to prioritize and expand Registered Apprenticeships in education, including Registered Apprenticeships to prepare one or more of the following: (a) Elementary educators, or (b) Secondary educators, by including one or more of the following:  (i) Supporting the development and expansion of Registered Apprenticeship programs designed to lead to educator certification.  (ii) Creating targeted pathways for instructional assistants, paraprofessionals, substitute teachers, career changers, and other individuals already working in educational settings to earn teaching credentials and to become certified educators while employed.  (iii) Aligning secondary and postsecondary educatorregistered apprenticeship programs with State educator licensure requirements and workforce shortage areas.  (iv) Providing technical assistance to school districts, educator preparation providers, institutions of higher education, and registered apprenticeship intermediaries to establish or expand Registered Educator Apprenticeship programs.  (v) Promoting earn-and-learn models through registered apprenticeships that reduce financial barriers and increase access to the teaching profession, particularly in high-need subject areas, including provision of:  (1) Paid work experience in a full-time position;  (2) A progression of wage increases; and  (3) Coursework that leads to certification, delivered to accommodate fulltime work schedules. Note: Registered Apprenticeships are industry-vetted and approved and validated by DOL or a State Apprenticeship Agency as fulfilling the requirements of 29 CFR part 29.

ED must not award more than one grant under this program to an eligible entity during a grant competition. If an entity submits multiple applications for this competition, only the highest rated application will be considered for an award.

Type of Award: Discretionary grants
Estimated Available Funds: $90,000,000
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: $1 million to $6 million per project year 
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $3,500,000 per performance period 
Estimated Number of Awards: 25-30
Project Period: Up to 36 months
Cost Sharing or Matching: Under section 2242 of the ESEA, each grant recipient must provide, from non-Federal sources, at least 25 percent of the total cost for each year of the project activities.

Pre-Application Webinar: ED will conduct informational webinars to provide technical assistance to interested applicants for grants under this program. The schedule for these informational webinars that will occur approximately 2 weeks after the publication of this notice on Grants.gov will be posted at SEED website, including a Registered Apprenticeship 101 webinar hosted by DOL.