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School Ambassador Fellowship Program

Founded on the principles of partnership, collaboration and cooperation  between the Federal Government and school-based educators, the U.S. Department of Education designed the School Ambassador Fellowship program to enable outstanding teachers, administrators, and other school leaders, such as school counselors, psychologists, social workers, and librarians to bring their school and classroom expertise to the Department and to expand their knowledge of the national dialogue about education. The School Ambassador Fellowship is a professional learning community designed to improve educational outcomes for students by leveraging the expertise of school-based practitioners in the creation, evaluation, and dissemination of information around national education initiatives.

The application period for the 2023-2024 cohort of the School Ambassador Fellowship has been extended.   Applications for the 2023-2024 cohort of the School Ambassador Fellowship will now remain open until 11:59pm ET on January 3, 2023.

Pre-Application Webinar: PDF | Video

For more information on how the Fellowship works, please see our Program Overview.

Local Flexibility Demonstration Program

Program Office: Office of School Support and Technology Programs

The Local Flexibility Demonstration Program (Local-Flex) is a flexibility program that authorizes the Secretary to enter into local flexibility demonstration agreements with a total of up to 80 local educational agencies (LEAs) in States that do not have State-Flex authority. Consistent with the purposes of the program, Local-Flex LEAs may consolidate and use certain Federal funds for any educational purpose authorized under the ESEA. Unlike the LEA performance agreements under State-Flex (which are between SEAs and LEAs), the flexibility agreements under Local-Flex are directly between the Secretary and LEAs.

Local-Flex is not a funding program. Rather, it is a program that allows LEAs to consolidate certain local-level Federal funds they already receive.

Migrant Education Coordination Support Center

TYPES OF PROJECTS

Grants and contracts that will be funded in FY 2008 include:

(1) Consortium Incentive Grants, which support multistate consortia for improving coordination in eight areas of
need (i.e., improving the identification and recruitment of eligible migrant children; using scientifically based
research to improve school readiness; improving reading and math proficiency; decreasing the dropout rate;
improving high school completion rates; strengthening the involvement of parents; expanding access to innovative
technologies; and improving the education attainment of out-of-school migratory youths);
technologies; and improving the education attainment of out-of-school migratory youths);
(2) the Migrant Education Resource Center (MERC) known as RESULTS supports initiatives related to interstate and intrastate coordination of the MEP through enhanced communications between MEP stakeholders via a website and other media; presentations on topics relevant to the MEP; and production of a literature review of MEP and related resources;
(3) the Migrant Education Coordination Support Contract (now under our MERC contract as well), a logistical support contract to organize and implement
effective meetings and recommend and procure subject matter experts in support of national interstate
coordination initiatives;
(4) the MSIX, which links state migrant student record systems to electronically exchange academic and
health-related information on a national basis;
(5) the MSIX IV&V and Management Support Contract, which provides independent oversight of the MSIX
contractors’ performance and assistance with investment acquisition, management, and oversight activities; and
(6) the MSIX State Data Quality Grants, which additional resources to SEAs receiving MEP will provide Basic
State Formula Grant awards in order to assist them and their local operating agencies (LOAs) in implementing the
interstate exchange of migrant children’s records electronically through the MSIX.

Coordinator for the Outlying Areas

Program Description

The No Child Left Behind Act amended the Department of Education Act to require the Department to establish the ‘Coordinator for the Outlying Areas’ position. School Support and Rural Programs currently employs the Departments Coordinator for the Outlying Areas, who: (1) serves as the principal advisor to the Department on Federal matters affecting the outlying areas; (2) evaluates, on a periodic basis, the needs of education programs in the outlying areas; (3) assists with the coordination of programs that serve the outlying areas; and (4) provides guidance to programs within the Department that serve the outlying areas.

As used in this section, the term outlying areas includes Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, but does not include the Freely Associated States of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau.

State Flexibility Demonstration Program

Program Office: Office of School Support and Technology Programs

The State Flexibility Authority program (State-Flex) is a program that authorizes the Secretary to grant flexibility authority to up to seven eligible State educational agencies (SEAs). With this authority, an SEA may (1) consolidate and use certain Federal funds reserved for State administration and State-level activities for any educational purpose authorized under the ESEA; (2) specify how local educational agencies (LEAs) in the State use Innovative Program funds under Part A of Title V; and (3) enter into performance agreements with four to ten LEAs in the State, permitting those LEAs to consolidate certain Federal funds and to use those funds for any ESEA purpose consistent with the SEA’s State-Flex plan. (Note that “State-Flex” is different from “Ed-Flex,” which is a separate program that authorizes the Secretary to delegate waiver authority to eligible SEAs).

State-Flex is not a funding program. Rather, it is a program that allows SEAs to consolidate certain State-level Federal formula funds they already receive. LEAs that enter into local performance agreements with their SEAs also get authority to consolidate certain local-level Federal funds they already receive.

State Tribal Education Partnership (STEP)

Program Overview

The purposes of this program are to: (1) Promote increased collaboration between tribal education agencies (TEAs) and the State educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) that serve students from the affected tribes; and (2) build the capacity of TEAs to conduct certain administrative functions under certain Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) formula grant programs for eligible schools, as determined by the TEA, SEA, and LEA.

Types of Projects

The absolute funding priorities for the program in FY2020 limit projects to building capacity to administer and coordinate education programs that are designed to do one or more of the following:

  1. Recruit or retain educators, including by supplementing efforts to recruit or retain educators employed by the TEA or by a partnering LEA.
  2. Promote the availability of work-based learning experiences (such as internships, apprenticeships, and fellowships) or career exploration opportunities for elementary and secondary students served by the TEA that align with in-demand industry sectors or occupations (as defined in section 3(23) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014), without providing direct services.
  3. For a TEA located in a State with a State statute specifically authorizing the establishment of charter schools, build TEA capacity necessary to open a new charter school, including a Tribally authorized charter school, such as by developing the charter school concept; writing a mission statement; defining an educational model; establishing a governance structure; developing a budget; establishing curriculum; choosing a location; developing partnerships with key stakeholders; or developing other materials related to applying for a charter from the appropriate authorizing entity.
  4. Build TEA capacity necessary to convert a BIE-operated school to a BIE-funded Tribally-operated school, such as by developing structures necessary to ensure smooth transition of instruction; ensuring necessary and appropriate facilities; developing processes and procedures for oversight of funds and compliance with statute and regulations; and preparing to hire teachers and staff.

Projects may be carried out by either established TEAs (Absolute Priority 2) or TEAs with limited prior experience (Absolute Priority 3).

Transferability for State and Local Educational Agencies

 

Program Office: Office of School Support and Technology Programs

Transferability is a new ESEA flexibility authority that allows States and local educational agencies to transfer a portion of the funds that they receive under certain Federal programs to other specified programs that most effectively address their unique needs and to allocations for certain activities under Title I.

 

Grants for State Assessments

Program Description

This program is designed to support the development of the additional state assessments and standards required by Sec. 1111(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended. If a state has developed the assessments and standards required by Sec. 1111(b), funds support the administration of those assessments or other activities related to ensuring that the state’s schools and local education agencies (LEAs) are held accountable for results.

Types of Projects

Projects include development or subsequent implementation of standards-based state academic assessments in reading or language arts, mathematics, and science as required by the authorizing statute. When the state has met all assessment requirements, the funds may be used to improve standards, alignment, reporting, or expanded use of test accommodations.