State Personnel Development Grants Program
Grant: State Personnel Development Grants Program
Agency: United States Department of Education
Division: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS)
Deadline: This competition is closed. The deadline was September 4, 2012.
Description: The purpose of this program, authorized by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), is to assist state educational agencies (SEAs) in reforming and improving their systems for personnel preparation and professional development in early intervention, educational and transition services in order to improve results for children with disabilities.
In order to achieve these goals, applicants are required to address the following absolute priorities within their application:
- Priority One - Effective and Efficient Delivery of Professional Development: Applicants must demonstrate their ability to provide effective and efficient professional development by using evidence-based professional development practices, providing ongoing assistance to personnel, and using technology to more efficiently and effectively provide ongoing professional development especially to those in rural and high-need areas.
- Priority Two - State Personnel Development Grants: The applicant must submit a state personnel development plan that identifies and addresses the state and local needs for the personnel preparation and professional development of personnel and individuals who provide direct supplementary aids and services to children with disabilities. Additionally, applicants must establish partnerships with LEAs and other state agencies involved in, or concerned with, the education of children with disabilities, including at least one institution of higher education, the state agencies responsible for administering Part C of IDEA, early education, child care and vocational rehabilitation programs. An SEA must also work in partnership with other persons and organizations involved in and concerned with disabilities.
Applicants must use grant funds to support activities in accordance with the state's personnel development plan, including one or more of the following:
- Carrying out programs that provide support to both special education and regular education teachers of children with disabilities and principals.
- Encouraging and supporting the training of special education and regular education teachers and administrators to effectively use and integrate technology into curricula and instruction to enhance learning and effectively communicate with parents.
- Providing professional development activities that improve the knowledge of special education and regular education teachers.
Projects designed to provide professional development targeted to meet specific needs of teachers, which are identified by teacher evaluation systems taking into account student growth as a significant factor in determining performance levels will be given a competitive preference priority.
Fit for Public Broadcasting: State education agencies are the only eligible applicants for this program, so public media stations cannot apply on their own. Applicants are, however, required to establish partnerships to complete their projects, and public media stations can be valuable partners. The focus of this program is on improving personnel development, so stations with expertise in teacher training and professional development can be important partners. The program notice specifically mentions training teachers to effectively use and integrate technology into curricula and instruction, so public media stations' experience with educational technology can also be beneficial to SEAs applying to this program.
Eligibility: A state education agency (SEA) of one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or an outlying area (United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) is eligible to apply.
Anticipated funding: Approximately $26,400,000 is available for this program. Awards will range from $500,000 to $2,200,000. In outlying areas, awards will be no less than $80,000. Excluding outlying areas, the average size of awards will be $1,000,000, and there will be an estimated 24 grants awarded. Project periods must be not less than one year and not more than five years.
How to apply: Applications can be obtained from the Education Publications Center, using the CFDA Number 84.323A. Applications may be submitted electronically via Grants.gov or in paper format by mail or hand delivery. Online submission requires registration, a process that usually takes three to five business days but can take as long as four weeks. Be sure to visit Grants.gov and begin registering well in advance of the deadline. In order to do business with the U.S. Department of Education, applicants must register their Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR) and must maintain an active CCR registration while the application is under review and, if awarded a grant, during the project period.
Resources:
Program Notice
Program Website
