Teacher Quality Partnership Grants

To improve student achievement; improve the quality of new and prospective teachers by improving the preparation of prospective teachers and enhancing professional development activities for new teachers; hold teacher preparation programs at institutions of higher education (IHEs) accountable for preparing highly qualified teachers; and recruit highly qualified individuals, including minorities and individuals from other occupations, into the teaching force.

States and partnerships that consist of at least one institution of higher education, a school, department or program of education within the partner institution, one school of arts and sciences within the partner institution, one high-need local educational agency, and a high-need school or a consortium of high-need schools served by the high-need local educational agency. A high-need local educational agency; is an agency that serves an elementary school or secondary school located in an area containing: (1) A high percentage of individuals or families with incomes below the poverty line, (2) a high percentage of secondary teachers not teaching in the content area that they were trained to teach, or (3) a high teacher turnover rate. An accredited institution of higher education, with a teacher training program must demonstrate the following: (A) A graduate from the teacher training program exhibits strong performance on State-determined qualifying assessments for new teachers through demonstrating that 80 percent or more of the graduates of the program intending to enter the field of teaching have passed all of the applicable State qualification assessments for new teachers including an assessment of each prospective teacher's subject matter knowledge in the content area or areas in which the teacher intends to teach; (B) be ranked among the highest-performing teacher preparation programs in the State as determined by the State; (C) the teacher training program requires all the students of the program to participate in intensive clinical experience that meets high academic standards in the case of secondary candidates to successfully complete an academic major in the subject area in which the candidate intends to teach; (D) competence through a high level of performance in relevant content area; (F) successful completion of an academic major in the arts and sciences in the case of elementary school candidates, or (G) competence through a high level of performance in core academic subjects areas. (Note: Entities that may constitute a partnership are specifically listed in the Law.)

Students in high-need schools and school districts are the primary beneficiaries.

In any fiscal year in which funds are available for new awards, the Department of Education publishes a notice in the Federal Register inviting applications and establishing a deadline date.

Peer review panels composed of representatives from public and private higher education, State and local educational agencies with expertise in teacher education are designated to review applications.

Notification usually is made within four months of the deadline for submission of applicants.