US Department of Education and US Department of Labor announce first grant competitions under elementary and secondary education partnership
WASHINGTON – Today, the US Departments of Education (ED) and Labor (DOL) issued the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 competitions for the Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program and the Innovative Approaches to Literacy Program. These competitions symbolize the subsequent step within the Trump Administration’s efforts to align workforce and education applications, increase education freedom, and bolster educator effectiveness.
Today’s announcement kicks off ED’s FY 2026 Ok-12 education grant competitions, with extra competitions to comply with later this spring and summer time. As ED and DOL deepen their partnership to raised coordinate elementary and secondary education applications, awards for these competitions shall be issued via DOL’s GrantSolutions, a grants administration platform.
“These grant competitions mark an important milestone in our efforts to support our nation’s teachers and empower families with educational choice,” stated Assistant Secretary for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education Kirsten Baesler. “By investing in effective educator development programs and proven literacy models, we are elevating innovative solutions that directly shape student outcomes. Together with the Department of Labor, we are prioritizing investment in the support systems closest to students – families and educators.”
“Education reaches its fullest potential when learning is fused with vocation and industry,” stated Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training Dr. Henry Mack. “Today’s announcement is indeed an important one. By integrating education with employment and occupational needs, we avoid aimless drift and empower individuals to live with purpose, adaptability, productivity, dignity, and contribution to the Golden Age of America’s economy.”
Under the earlier Administration, these competitions prioritized grantees who targeted on selling race- and identity-based applications slightly than enhancing pupil educational achievement and trainer retention. Now, the Trump Administration is utilizing Secretary McMahon’s Supplemental Priorities to prioritize grantees who will give attention to significant studying alternatives for college kids, together with supporting households to offer at-home studying, pilot and/or scale progressive education workforce and employment fashions that emphasize benefit, meet trade’s wants, and return education to the states.
Background:
In November 2025, ED introduced six new Interagency Agreements (IAAs) with 4 companies to interrupt up the Federal education forms, guarantee environment friendly supply of funded applications, and transfer nearer to fulfilling the President’s promise to return education to the states. Learn more about the efforts to return education to the states here.
The ED-DOL partnership was formalized via an IAA, a software routinely utilized by authorities companies to acquire providers, share sources, and guarantee environment friendly service supply. Under this partnership and in accordance with 31 USC § 1535, DOL will assist handle grant funds, present technical help, and combine ED’s trainer workforce applications with the suite of applications that DOL already administers.
ED and DOL will proceed to offer grantees with extra steering as these efforts are carried out.
For extra info on these grant competitions, please go to every grant discover on grants.gov:
- Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) – IAL helps high-quality applications designed to develop and enhance literacy expertise for kids and college students from beginning via twelfth grade in high-need native academic companies and faculties.
- Teacher and School Leader Incentive (TSL) – TSL helps entities in implementing, enhancing, or increasing their Human Capital Management System, which should embrace a Performance-Based Compensation System.
