Competitive Grant Opportunities for Recruiting and Preparing Teachers and Principals

January 17, 2018

TO THE ADMINISTRATOR ADDRESSED:

SUBJECT: Competitive Grant Opportunities for Recruiting and Preparing Teachers and Principals

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is pleased to announce the opening of grant opportunities for the 2018–2019 Grow Your Own and 2018–2019 Principal Preparation grant programs.

The 2018-2019 Grow Your Own grants can be used to encourage high school students to consider teaching as a career, paraprofessionals and/or teacher aides to pursue certification, and to support student teachers during their year-long clinical teaching.

The 2018-2019 Principal Preparation grants can be used by districts to cover preparation and certification costs for their aspiring principals. Both grants are in support of the Agency’s Strategic Priority to recruit, support, and retain teachers and principals.

Detailed information on these grant applications, and other upcoming grant competitions, is available in the TEA Competitive Grant Year in Advance Calendar on the TEA Grant Opportunities Page.

To learn more about these grant opportunities, recorded webinars will be available on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018.

Applications must be received by TEA by 5 p.m. (Central Time), March 13, 2018, to be considered for funding. We encourage all eligible applicants to consider applying.

Note that these two grant programs will also be the first from the agency to pilot the new streamlined application process, which represents an 80 percent reduction in paperwork for applicants. This streamlined approach is in direct response to the Commissioner’s Rural Schools Task Force recommendations. Also in response to the Task Force’s recommendations, these two grant opportunities will be awarding priority points to LEAs with smaller enrollments.

Any further questions about the grant guidelines should be emailed to Grace Wu (grace.wu@tea.texas.gov) for the 2018–2019 Grow Your Own grant program, and Brenda Garcia (brenda.garcia@tea.texas.gov) for the 2018-2019 Principal Preparation grant program by Feb. 12, 2018. Questions that are submitted will be answered through a separate Frequently Asked Questions publication for both grant programs by Feb. 26, 2018.

Sincerely,

Martin Winchester
Deputy Commissioner of Educator Support

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