The U.S. Department of Education has awarded approximately $50 million in new grant funding to 12 selected projects focused on preparing educators to work effectively with English learners. The announcement comes after a turbulent period for the agency, which experienced significant staff reductions and program discontinuations in 2025 that prompted legal challenges from advocacy groups and researchers.
The National Professional Development grant program, which supports partnerships between colleges, universities, and school districts to develop teacher endorsement and certification pathways for English learner instruction, received 163 applications this year compared to 150 in the previous application cycle. The Education Department introduced a new competitive requirement for this funding round: letters of endorsement from state leaders. All 12 winning grantees submitted such letters, which officials said demonstrated alignment with state priorities and commitment to supporting the proposed work.
Winning projects emphasize building capacity among general education teachers to support English language development, addressing a significant gap in the current teaching workforce. In Wyoming, one project will help 120 in-service teachers and 40 additional educators obtain or embed English-as-a-second-language endorsements, effectively tripling the state’s ESL-endorsed teacher population. A South Dakota initiative will train in-service teachers and administrators statewide on language instruction integrated with academic content delivery. Central Washington University received nearly $4 million to fund coursework and instructional coaching for both pre-service and in-service teachers seeking ESL endorsements.
Educators and administrators noted that obtaining state endorsement letters proceeded relatively smoothly when applicants maintained existing relationships with state education agencies or aligned their work with established state priorities. Some applicants expressed concerns about timeline constraints and clarity regarding what state leaders should include in their letters. Researchers across the field expressed optimism about the dedicated funding opportunity, noting the program’s unique role in supporting collaborative work between higher education and K-12 districts on this critical educational need.
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