Competitive LOI Opportunity: National Board Candidacy Cohort Grant

The National Board Candidacy Cohort Grant for school year 2023-24 is now available on the TEA Grant Opportunities page. This grant provides local educational agencies (LEAs) and education service centers (ESCs) with the opportunity to plan and implement a cohort support model for teachers pursuing National Board Certification. 

The intent of this program is to increase teacher effectiveness and retention through the National Board certification process. The grant supports district efforts to increase the number of teachers with recognized designations through the Teacher Incentive Allotment.  

Grantees will implement a rigorous recruitment and selection process to identify a diverse group of highly effective teachers that are committed to pursuing National Board certification. Grantees will design a National Board Candidacy Cohort model and may use grant funds to partner with an external entity to execute their model. Through the cohort model, teacher candidates will receive support through a series of at least eight cohort meetings and 1:1 National Board-focused mentoring. Cohort facilitators and mentors must have been previously certified by the National Board Certification.  

Funding: It is anticipated that approximately 18 grants will be awarded, ranging in amounts from $20,000 to $50,000. Awarded applicants may spend funds on external partnerships, mentoring for National Board candidates, limited travel, and substitute coverage for candidates. Funds may be spent beginning December 8, 2022, until August 31, 2024.  

Application Timeline:

Please reach out to tl@tea.texas.gov with questions about the National Board Candidacy Cohort application by September 16, 2022. All questions received will be answered through a separate frequently asked questions document.