U.S. Department of Education: Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program

The Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program (TSL) builds on the former Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) program and works to develop, implement, improve, or expand comprehensive Performance-Based Compensation Systems (PBCS) or Human Capital Management Systems (HCMS) for teachers, principals, and other school leaders (especially in high-need schools) who raise student academic achievement and close the achievement gap between high- and low-performing students. In addition, a portion of TSL funds are dedicated to study the effectiveness, fairness, quality, consistency, and reliability of PBCS or HCMS for teachers, principals, and other school leaders.

There are four absolute priorities. Applications must meet Absolute Priority 1 and then one of the additional Absolute Priorities (Priorities 2, 3, or 4). Absolute priorities are:

• Absolute Priority 1: Human Capital Management System: The application must include a description of the applicant’s existing Local Educational Agency-wide HCMS (or, in the case of a consortium application or a State Educational Agency application, the shared HCMS that currently exists across the proposed Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) that will participate in this project), including a description of its PBCS.
• Absolute Priority 2: Evaluation and support systems for teachers: The application must include a description of how the proposed project would enhance the applicant’s evaluation and support system for teachers in high-need schools in the LEA or LEAs the project will serve.
• Absolute Priority 3: Evaluation and support systems for school leaders: The application must include a a description of how the proposed project would enhance the applicant’s evaluation and support system for school leaders in high-need schools in the LEA or LEAs the project will serve.
• Absolute Priority 4: Evaluation and support systems for teachers and school leaders: The application must include a description of how the applicant’s project would enhance the evaluation and support system for teachers and school leaders in high-need schools in the LEA or LEAs the project will serve

Applicants may apply under one or both of the competitive preference priorities, detailed below:

• Competitive Preference Priority 1: Using the HCMS to improve equitable access to effective educators (up to 10 points). Projects address the most significant gaps or insufficiencies in student access to effective teachers, school leaders, or both teachers and school leaders, in high-need schools, including gaps or inequities in how effective teachers, school leaders, or both, are distributed across the LEA or LEAs the project will serve.
• Competitive Preference Priority 2: Attracting, supporting, and retaining a diverse and effective workforce (up to five points). Projects attract, support, and retain a diverse and effective workforce, including effective teachers, school leaders, or both, from historically underrepresented populations. At minimum, applicants must provide a description detailing their commitment to creating and maintaining a diverse workforce, and their plan for attracting, supporting, and retaining diverse educators.

Amount: A total of $250,000,000 ($159,000,000 for new awards) is expected to be available to award 15-20 awards. Grants are expected to range from $500,000-$12,000,000 and average at $10,000,000 for the first year of the project period. The project period is up to three years, with renewal of up to two additional years. A 50 percent match (in cash or in kind) from non-federal sources is required.

Eligibility: LEAs, including a charter school that is an LEA, or a consortium of LEAs; a State Educational Agencies (SEA) or other state agency designated by the chief executive of a state to participate; the Bureau of Indian Education; or a partnership consisting of one or more of the eligible agencies previously described and at least one nonprofit organization or at least one for-profit organization.

Link: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=290851

Note: The deadline for the notice of intent to apply is February 4, 2017.

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