Dept. of Ed Announces 2017 National Professional Development Grant Competition

Washington, D.C.— The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA), announced recently in the Federal Register, the availability of $20 million for its National Professional Development (NPD) grant competition to support educators of English Learner (EL) students.

“These grants are great investments in helping prepare new teachers improve their content skills to better serve the needs of English learner students,” said Supreet Anand, deputy director of OELA. “Our English Learners benefit by having competent and capable instructors in the classroom.”

The NPD program provides grants for eligible institutions of higher education or public or private entities with relevant experience and capacity, in collaboration with states or districts, to implement professional development activities that will improve instruction for ELs. Professional development may include preservice or in-service activities for educators of ELs including teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals or other educators working with ELs. Professional development activities may also include teacher education programs and training for other education professionals that lead to certification, licensing or endorsement for providing instruction to ELs.

The deadline for submitting an Intent to Apply is Mar. 13, 2017. The deadline for submitting the applications is Apr. 24, 2017.

Since 2008, the Department has awarded an estimated $370 million in NPD grants to assist educators working with English Learner students.

Featured

  • Planning with Clarity: Using AI to Make Better Campus Decisions, Not Just Better Designs

    Higher education leaders are being asked to make increasingly high-stakes decisions about campus facilities amid greater uncertainty than ever before. Social and economic pressures, shifting enrollment, and evolving learning models compete with growing deferred maintenance needs to strain even the most robust infrastructure budgets.

  • Virginia Tech Tops Out New College of Engineering Building

    Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., recently celebrated the topping out of Mitchell Hall, which will soon stand as the largest College of Engineering building on campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with Skanska on the 285,500-square-foot facility, which has an expected completion date of winter 2028.

  • Dallas-Area District Debuts Three New Facilities

    The Duncanville Independent School District in southwest Dallas, Texas, recently held ribbon-cutting ceremonies for three new facilities that resulted from a $170-million bond program passed in 2023, according to a news release.

  • Secret to Efficient, On-Time School Infrastructure & Modernization Projects is All in the Preparation

    Warmer weather and longer days make summer the ideal time for construction and modernization projects at educational facilities. School boards and construction firms must coordinate effectively to ensure that these projects do not extend even a single day into the school year and impede classroom operation.