Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): Effective Educator Development (EED) Division: Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program, Assistance Listing Number 84.374A | ED GRANTS 052423 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 052423 001

The Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program (TSL), administered by the U.S. Department of Education under the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), Effective Educator Development (EED) Division, is a discretionary grant opportunity listed under Assistance Listing Number 84.374A. The core idea behind this program is to help education agencies and partners strengthen how they recruit, develop, support, and retain effective educators, especially in high-need schools. Rather than focusing on one-off initiatives, the program is aimed at building or improving comprehensive systems that connect educator effectiveness to compensation and broader talent-management decisions in a structured, evidence-focused way.

The purpose of TSL is to support States, local educational agencies (LEAs), and nonprofit organizations in developing, implementing, improving, or expanding either performance-based compensation systems (PBCS) or human capital management systems (HCMS) for teachers, principals, and other school leaders (as defined in the official notice). In plain terms, this means applicants can propose systems that reward and retain strong educators based on performance and impact, and/or systems that manage educator talent more strategically across the full lifecycle (hiring, placement, development, evaluation, advancement, and retention). A major emphasis is placed on high-need schools and on educators who demonstrably contribute to student growth and academic achievement, including efforts that help close achievement gaps between higher- and lower-performing students.

A notable feature of the program is that it also allows a portion of awarded funds to be used for studying and validating the systems being implemented. Specifically, the notice highlights the opportunity to examine the effectiveness, fairness, quality, consistency, and reliability of a proposed PBCS or HCMS. That language signals that TSL is not only interested in whether a system exists, but also whether it works as intended, treats educators equitably, produces trustworthy results, and can be implemented consistently across schools and contexts. Because many of the key concepts in this program rely on defined terms, the official Federal Register notice is especially important for applicants to consult, since eligibility details, definitions, priorities, required evidence, and performance measures are governed by that formal publication.

This opportunity was posted with Funding Opportunity Number ED GRANTS 052423 001, categorized as a discretionary grant within the education funding activity area. Applications were made available on May 24, 2023, and the original deadline for transmittal of applications was June 28, 2023, with an intergovernmental review deadline of August 28, 2023. The Department also included an optional but strongly encouraged notice of intent to apply process to help with planning and review logistics; applicants were asked to email TSL@ed.gov with the subject line "Intent to Apply" and include basic contact information. Importantly, submitting an intent to apply was not a requirement to apply, and it did not obligate a prospective applicant to submit a full proposal.

To help applicants prepare, OESE indicated it would provide technical assistance through pre-recorded informational webinars and a Frequently Asked Questions document, both to be posted on the program website. The notice directs applicants to rely on the official application notice in the Federal Register for the authoritative rules and requirements, and it points applicants to the Department of Education's Revised Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs (published December 7, 2022) for application submission and procedural guidance, including where and how to obtain and submit an application package.

The listing notes an expected 20 awards, while the award ceiling is shown as 0 in the provided extract (which typically means applicants need to consult the official notice for actual award ranges or maximums, since the synopsis record may not display full fiscal parameters). Eligibility is broadly indicated as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)," which is another cue that the precise eligibility categories and partnership requirements, if any, must be confirmed in the Federal Register notice.

For direct questions, the program contact identified is Cynthia Hunter at the U.S. Department of Education, with both phone and email contact information provided, along with the program mailbox (TSL@ed.gov). Overall, TSL is positioned as a system-building grant: it supports applicants that want to make educator compensation and human-capital decisions more strategic and more tied to effectiveness, with a clear preference for approaches that strengthen educator impact in high-need settings and that include credible attention to implementation quality and fairness.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): Effective Educator Development (EED) Division: Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program, Assistance Listing Number 84.374A" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.374.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 24, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 28, 2023 Applications Available May 24, 2023. Pre-Application Webinars The Office of Elementary and Secondary Education intends to post pre-recorded informational webinars designed to provide technical assistance to interested applicants for TSL grants. These informational webinars will be available on the TSL webpage shortly after this notice is published in the Federal Register at oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/effective-educator-development-programs/teacher-and-school-leader-incentive-program/applicant-info-eligibility/. A TSL Frequently Asked Questions document will also be published on the TSL program webpage as soon as it is available at https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/effective-educator-development-programs/teacher-and-school-leader-incentive-program/. Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply June 7, 2023. Notice of Intent to Apply The Department will be able to review grant applications more efficiently if we know the approximate number of applicants who intend to apply. Therefore, we strongly encourage each potential applicant to notify us of the applicant#8217s intent to submit an application. To do so, please email TSL@ed.gov with the subject line #8220Intent to Apply,#8221 and include the applicant#8217s name and contact person#8217s name and email address by July 7, 2023. Applicants that do not submit a notice of intent to apply may still apply for funding applicants that do submit a notice of intent to apply are not bound to apply or bound by the information provided. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications June 28, 2023. Deadline for Intergovernmental Review August 28, 2023. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT Cynthia Hunter, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-5960. Telephone 202-401-3584. Email cynthia.hunter@ed.gov or TSL@ed.gov.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 20 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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