Tag Archives: Teacher Education

Resources

 

Cross-site Evaluation of the Early Childhood Educator Professional Development Program

 

Brief: [download files] WORD (492 KB) (2011)

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) contracted with Child Trends, Inc. to conduct a cross-site evaluation of the activities supported by the ECEPD. The purpose of the cross-site evaluation was to provide a descriptive portrayal of the approaches used by 18 ECEPD projects funded in 2003, 2004 and 2005 to increase access to and quality of professional development for early childhood educators, and (2) to identify in greater detail the specific features of professional development that appear most consistently across those specific programs that met specific criteria for rigor and that showed evidence of statistically significant effects on early educator knowledge; early educator practice in working directly with children; and/or child outcomes. A defining feature across ECEPD projects was the reliance on both a knowledge-focused and practice-focused component of professional development. Knowledge-focused professional development activities sought to convey knowledge about early childhood development, age-appropriate practices and techniques to support children’s language, literacy, and socio-emotional development, and/or using a particular early childhood curriculum. Practice-focused activities help support and/or improve the early childhood educators’ practice or the quality of the early childhood environment.

This brief presents the findings of the cross-site evaluation with descriptive findings on the eight projects that met specific criteria for rigor and showed evidence of statistically significant effects. (Child Trends, Inc. also published a literature review in conjunction with the study entitled, “Professional Development for Early Childhoods Educators: A Review of the Literature”

http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/opepd/ppss/reports.html)

 

Forging a New Framework for Professional Development

 

Brief: [download files] PDF (492 KB) (2011)

The U.S. Department of Education’s, Early Childhood Educator Professional Development (ECEPD) Program under NCLB, Title II), grantees convened a national summit to identify emerging and critical gaps in knowledge and research on effective professional development for early childhood educators, hosted by the Zero to Three National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families and the Georgetown University Center on Health and Education, both 2007 ECEPD grantees. Among the special guests were Secretary Arne Duncan, Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Barbara Bowman, Jacqueline Jones, Sr. Advisor to the Secretary Duncan on Early Learning and Joan Lombardi, Deputy Assistant Secretary and Inter-Departmental Liaison for Early Childhood Development Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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The Early Childhood Educator Professional Development Program (ECEPD) is a federal discretionary program that provides grants to partnerships focused on providing professional development activities to early childhood educators working in low-income communities. This cross-site evaluation examined 18 ECEPD projects that were funded in 2003, 2004, and 2005. The evaluation provided 1) A descriptive portrait of the 18 ECEPD projects including the partnerships involved and the infrastructure for delivering professional development activities, 2) An examination of the evaluations included in each ECEPD project, 3) The promising practices that emerged from an analysis of the professional development activities offered, and 4) Implications of the evaluation findings for strengthening the professional development of early educators, especially those working in low-income communities.

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Also visit OPEPD, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development (professional development) for a copy of “Towards the Identification of Features of Effective Professional Development for Early Childhood Educators – Literature Review,” which presents the research on professional development of early childhood educators to characterize features of effective professional development.

http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/opepd/ppss/reports.html

 

Calendar

 

Parent – Child Literacy Activity Calendar 2005-2006. This colorful calendar offers tips, activities, suggested reading materials and more!
[download files] PDF (2.37MB)

 

Evaluation Plans Helpful Hints

 

The resources below may be helpful to applicants as they work on evaluation plans for the 2006 Early Childhood Educator Professional Development (ECEPD) program grant award competition. The resources include descriptions of and links to the documents that [ been found to be most useful. Since this site just came up a couple of weeks ago, many of our competitions have already been announced. However, for the couple that haven’t been announced, we’re going to provide a link from our application package to the sites for any interested applicants.

 

Other Early Childhood Resources

 

Performance

 

GPRA_Reports

 

 

Performance Reports

 

 

Performance Indicators

 

  • Federal Register Notice announcing the final achievement indicators for the Early Childhood Educator Professional Development Program, for fiscal year (FY) 2003 and future years’ grants. These achievement
    indicators will help ensure that the professional development provided
    under these discretionary grants will improve the knowledge and skills
    of early childhood educators who work in high-poverty communities, and
    will enhance the school readiness of young children, particularly
    disadvantaged young children, to prevent them from encountering
    difficulties once they enter school. These achievement indicators are effective April 30, 2003.

Legislation, Regulations, and Guidance

 

Legislation

 

Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended, Title II, Part A, Subpart 5, Section 2151(e)- National Activities; U.S.C. 6651(e)

 

Regulations

 

EDGAR; 34 CFR 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99

 

Funding Status

 

2008

Appropriation: 0

2007

Appropriation: $14,549,000
Number of New Awards Anticipated: 3-6
Average New Award: $3,600,000
Range of New Award: $2,400,000 – $4,800,000

 

2006

Appropriation: $14,549,040
Number of New Awards Anticipated: 3-6
Average New Award: $3,600,000
Range of New Award: $2,400,000 – $4,800,000

 

2005

 

Appropriation: $14,695,488
Expected number of awards: 5-15

 

2004

 

Appropriation: $14,814,078
Expected number of awards: 5-15

 

2003

 

Appropriation: $14,902,500
Expected number of awards: 5-12

 

2002

 

Appropriation: $15,000,000

 

2001

 

Appropriation: $10,000,000

 

Note: Projects are funded for three years; grantees receive funds for the entire period in the first year.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

 

  1. Announcement

1. Announcement

New FAQs will be available on or before February 28, 2006.

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Eligibility

 

Who May Apply: (by category)Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), Local Education Agencies (LEAs), Nonprofit Organizations,
Other Organizations and/or Agencies, State Education Agencies (SEAs)

Who May Apply: (specifically) Partnerships of:

  1. A professional development provider;
  2. Public agencies, Head Start agencies,
    or private organizations; and
  3. If feasible, an entity with experience in training early childhood
    educators about identifying and preventing behavioral problems or with experience in working with children who are victims of abuse may apply.

 

Awards

 

2007

The U.S. Department of Education is pleased to announce the grant awards for the 2007 Early Childhood Educator Professional Development (ECEPD) Program.

  • View the abstracts of the 2007 Early Childhood Educator Professional Development (ECEPD) Project Grantees:
    MS WORD (41K)

2006

The U.S. Department of Education is pleased to announce the grant awards for the 2006 Early Childhood Educator Professional Development (ECEPD) Program.

  • View the abstracts of the 2006 Early Childhood Educator Professional Development (ECEPD) Project Grantees:
    MS WORD (29K)

2005

The U.S. Department of Education is pleased to announce the grant awards for the 2005 Early Childhood Educator Professional Development (ECEPD) Program. Expert peer reviewers in the areas of early childhood education and professional development reviewed the 126 eligible applications submitted by the closing date of April 22, 2005. The appropriation for the 2005 ECEPD program was approximately $14.7 million. The five (5) grant award recipients are: University of Tennessee – Chattanooga (Project Resources for Early Educator Learning – REEL); University of Texas at Brownsville/Texas Southmost College (The Early Childhood Educator Professional Development Project); Linn-Benton Community College (Early Education Partnership Project – EEP); Children’s Forum, Inc. (Partners in Education and Research for Kindergarten Success – (PERKS); and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (Early Childhood Educator Centers of Educational Excellence).

  • View the abstracts of the 2005 Early Childhood Educator Professional Development (ECEPD) Project Grantees:
    MS WORD (36K)

2004

The U.S. Department of Education is pleased to announce the grant awards for the 2004 Early Childhood Educator Professional Development (ECEPD) Program. Expert peer reviewers in the areas of early childhood education and professional development reviewed the 127 eligible applications submitted by the closing date of March 16, 2004.

  • View the abstracts of the 2004 Early Childhood Educator Professional Development (ECEPD) Project Grantees:
    MS WORD (170K)

2003

The Department made awards to the following: Arizona State University, in partnership with the Arizona State Board for School Readiness; Tehama County Department of Education, California; Connecticut State Department of Education; Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families, District of Columbia; Mid-America Regional Council, Missouri; University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; University of Houston, Texas

  • View the abstracts of the 2003 Early Childhood Educator Professional Development (ECEPD) Project Grantees:
    MS WORD (170K)

2002

  • Press Release: Nearly $15 Million in Grants to Improve Teaching Skills of Early Childhood Educators (November 4, 2002)
  • FY 2002 Grantees: San Diego State University Foundation, Sonoma State University (California), Nova Southeastern University (Florida), Kansas City Kansas Public Schools, Mississippi State University, Bank Street College of Education (New York), University of Tennessee, Eastfield College (Texas), Western Oregon State University received grants totaling approximately $15 million.
  • View the abstracts of the 2002 Early Childhood Educator Professional Development (ECEPD) Project Grantees:
    MS WORD (170K)
  • View the FY 2002 Federal Register Notice.

2001

  • FY 2001 Grantees: Projects in Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, Oklahoma, and Texas received grants totaling $9.6 million.
  • View a list of FY 2001 grantees and project abstracts:
    MS WORD (43K)

Applicant Information

 

Timeline

Application Deadline: Closed

Current Application

  • Applications for grants under this program must be submitted
    electronically using Grants.gov .
  • Please see the URGENT MESSAGE ABOUT Grants.gov for information to applicants regarding the importance of registering early for the grants.gov process.
  • FY 2007 application for grants under the Early Childhood Educator Professional Development Program.
    MS WORD (3M) | PDF (965K)
  • For printed applications contact:
    Education Publications Center (ED Pubs),
    P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398,
    Telephone (toll free): 1-877-433-7827, fax (301) 470-1244.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) you may call (toll free) 1-877-576-7734.
    Web site: http://www.edpubs.ed.gov/webstore/Content/search.asp.
    E-mail: edpubs@inet.ed.gov
  • To see a list of grants that the Department offers and their proposed application publication date, please view the Forecast of Funding Opportunities.
  • You can also check the Guide to US Department of Education Programs at http://www.ed.gov/programs/gtep/index.html to keep abreast of the Department’s grant programs. This is published annually in hard copy, but the website is updated each month.

 

Urgent Message About Grants.gov

Grants.gov

Applicants for this program competition must use the new government-wide website, Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov), to apply. This will replace last year’s requirement that applicants use the U.S. Department of Education’s e-Grants system. Please note that the Grants.gov site works differently than the U.S. Department of Education’s e-Application System.

Register Early:: Grants.gov registration may take five or more days to complete. You must be fully registered to submit an application. Please follow the detailed Step-by-Step instructions on the Grants.gov Get Started page (http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp) or in the Grants.gov Registration brochure to:

To avoid long delays, verify that your registration is being processed. Contact Grants.gov customer support daily until you are registered.

Grants.gov Support: For help with Grants.gov, please call 1-800-518-4726 or use the customer support available on the website.

  • Register Your Organization
    • Obtain your organization’s Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number
    • Register your organization with Central Contractor Registry (CCR)
    • Identify your organization’s E-Business POC (Point of Contact)
    • Confirm your organization’s CCR “Marketing Partner ID Number (M-PIN)” password
  • Register Yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR)
    • Obtain your username and password
    • Register your username and password with Grants.gov
  • Get Yourself Authorized as an AOR
    • Contact your E-Business POC to ensure your AOR status
    • Log in to Grants.gov to check your AOR status

Download the Pure Edge Viewer: To download and complete the application, you will need to have the Pure Edge Viewer software on your computer. It is free and easy to download from Grants.gov. You may need to allow time for approval from your organization to download this software. This step should be completed before the competition is announced in the Federal Register.

Submit Early: Do not wait until the last day to submit your application! To submit successfully, you must enter the DUNS number in the application that your organization used when it registered with the CCR.

For more information to help you with Grants.gov, please see the brochure titled, “Grants.gov is as Easy as 1, 2, 3.”

You will want to ensure your application is submitted (i.e. has a date/time stamp from Grants.gov before 4:30 pm on the deadline date) AND that the application is processed and validated successfully. Grants.gov processing times may vary, so you need to allow at least 3 days for any unanticipated problems with your submission. If Grants.gov rejects your application, you will need to resubmit before the deadline date and time.

Federal Register Notices

  • Federal Register Notice Inviting Applications MS WORD (32K)

    Other Required Forms

    You will also need to download the following required Federal forms:

    • ED Form 424–Application for Federal Education Assistance (Form and Instructions)
    • ED Form 524–Budget Information, Non-Construction Programs
    • ED Form 524–Instructions
    • Standard Form 424B–Assurances, Non-Construction Programs
    • ED80-0013–Certifications Regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements
    • ED80-0014–Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion — Lower Tier Covered Transactions
    • Standard Form LLL–Disclosure of Lobbying Activities
    • Survey on Ensuring Equal Opportunity for Applicants

     

Early Childhood Educator Professional Development Program

Types of Projects

The professional development programs must provide research-based training to improve early childhood pedagogy and improve the children’s language and literacy skills.  Projects focus on early reading and cognitive development for both the professional development activities and early childhood curricula.

Additional Information

The program authorizes project partnerships that include an entity with demonstrated experience in providing training to educators in early childhood education programs on:

  • identifying and preventing behavior problems, or
  • working with children identified as or suspected to be victims of abuse.

Allowable activities include, among others, professional development:

  • to familiarize early childhood educators with the application of recent research on child language and literary development, and
  • on working with children who have special needs (e.g., children who are limited English proficient).

Resources

  • The Mathematics and Science Partnerships (MSP) program (Title II, Part B, of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended) provides funds to states through a formula that takes into account its student population and poverty rates. States are required to hold competitions and make awards to projects that improve the content knowledge of teachers and increase student learning in mathematics and science. To learn more about State run MSP competitions, please contact your State MSP Coordinator (updated September 2015).

  • Learn more about current MSP Projects. The MSP program, now in its twelfth year of implementation as a formula program, has funded professional development opportunities to thousands of teachers throughout the United States.

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  • The Brookings Institution,one of Washington’s oldest think tanks, conducted a preliminary analysis of winning MSP proposals from year one of the formula grants program. The views of the report report, written by Tom Loveless, are solely those of the author and do not reflect upon the institutions, governmental agencies, or other individuals associated with him or this project. Feedback is welcome on this document.

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  • Please visit the MSP Website; developed by ED in conjunction with Abt Associates in order to accommodate the growing need to share and disseminate the latest up-to-date information about MSP. The website is designed to provide administrative guidance and resources, provide news about upcoming conferences and events, and provide summaries of project goals and objectives.

MSP ANNUAL CONFERENCE

  • The link www.ed-msp.net provides information about the annual conference hosted by the U.S. Department of Education (ED). The two-day conference focus on national and state-level program management issues, review of the on-line annual reporting system, technical assistance for state coordinators and communication within the MSP program (ED-MSP Website).

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    In January, February and March 2008, ED will sponsor three regional conferences at various locations throughout the United States for project directors, project evaluators, and state coordinators. During the two-day conference, participants reviewed program requirements, discussed challenges and barriers in program implementation and shared program implementation strategies. For additional information regarding regional conferences for funded projects, please visit, www.ed-msp.net.

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National Science Foundation

  • The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Mathematics and Science Partnership (MSP) program was a major research and development effort to improve mathematics and science teaching in elementary and secondary schools. NSF’s MSP program responded to concerns over the performance of the nation’s children in mathematics and science. Institutions of higher education – their disciplinary faculty in departments of mathematics, the sciences, and/or engineering, education faculty and administrators – partnered with K-12 districts and others to effect deep, lasting improvement in K-12 mathematics and science education.

  • Math and Science Partnership Network (MSPnet) provides nested, interactive learning communities for NSF’s MSP and STEM+C programs. MSPnet encourages expression of divergent views and the sharing of both successes and challenges in order to create a community of learners who will collectively be enriched by the experiences of individual MSPs throughout the country.

RELATED ED OPPORTUNITIES FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

ACADEMIC COMPETITIVENESS GRANTS

  • In February 2006, President Bush signed into law a bill, Higher Ed Reconciliation Act of 2005, which provides grants for low-income first-year college students who completed a vigorous high school program. Eligible students will receive $750 for the first year and $1,300 during the second year provided that he/she has maintained at least a 3.0 GPA. For additional information regarding the Academic Competitiveness Grants, please visit:
    www.ed.govhttps://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/ac-smart.html

NATIONAL MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACCESS TO RETAIN TALENT (SMART GRANTS)

  • In February 2006, President Bush signed into law a bill, Higher Ed Reconciliation Act of 2005, which provides grants to college juniors and seniors who are interested in pursuing a career in mathematics and science and have at least a cumulative GPA of 3.0. Eligible students could receive as much as $4,000 during their junior and senior year. For additional information regarding SMART Grants, please visit:
    www.ed.govhttps://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/ac-smart.html

Taxpayer Teacher Protection Act

  • In November 2004, President Bush signed into law a bill that would expand student loan relief for highly qualified teachers who teach mathematics and science in high poverty K-12 schools. The bill, The Taxpayer-Teacher Protection Act (H.R. 5186)<!–>–>>, cuts off excess subsidies for student loan providers, and uses the money to expand incentives to help states and schools recruit and retain highly qualified teachers. The funds would increase student loan forgiveness from the current maximum of $5,000 to a new maximum of $17,500.

TOOLS AND RESOURCES

  • How to Solicit Rigorous Evaluations of Mathematics and Science Partnerships (MSP) Projects: A User-Friendly Guide for MSP State Coordinators img src=”/images/ed_gl_download.gif” align=”top” width=”10″ height=”14″ alt=”download files” border=”0″ –>> MS Word (May 2005) (150K) assists MSP state coordinators with a concrete, low-cost strategy to solicit rigorous evaluations of their state’s MSP projects. The guide provides concrete, step-by-step advice in three areas: (1) Overall evaluation strategy; (2) How to solicit rigorous evaluations; and (3) How to review applicants’ evaluation plans and monitor the evaluations once underway.

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  • How to Solicit Rigorous Evaluations of Mathematics and Science Partnerships (MSP) Projects: A User-Friendly Guide for MSP Evaluators img src=”/images/ed_gl_download.gif” align=”top” width=”10″ height=”14″ alt=”download files” border=”0″ –>> MS Word (296K) (August 2005) to assist MSP project officials and evaluators with clear, practical advice on how to conduct rigorous evaluations of MSP projects at a low cost.

  • 2005-2006 Survey on New Project Allocations
    img src=”/images/ed_gl_download.gif” align=”top” width=”10″ height=”14″ alt=”download files” border=”0″ –>> MS WORD (44KB)
  • 2005-2006 Survey on Continued Projects
    img src=”/images/ed_gl_download.gif” align=”top” width=”10″ height=”14″ alt=”download files” border=”0″ –>impact> MS WORD (42KB)
  • Manual for Annual Performance Report
    img src=”/images/ed_gl_download.gif” align=”top” width=”10″ height=”14″ alt=”download files” border=”0″ –>impact> MS WORD (333kB)

  • Project Profile
    img src=”/images/ed_gl_download.gif” align=”top” width=”10″ height=”14″ alt=”download files” border=”0″ –>impact> MS WORD (333kB)

  • Project Narrative
    img src=”/images/ed_gl_download.gif” align=”top” width=”10″ height=”14″ alt=”download files” border=”0″ –>impact> MS WORD (21kB)

  • Milestone schedule for MSP directors and project coordinators
    img src=”/images/ed_gl_download.gif” align=”top” width=”10″ height=”14″ alt=”download files” border=”0″ –>> MS WORD (28kB) (August 2006)

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WEBSITES OF INTEREST

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