Federal English-Learner Teacher Grants Return Under New Labor Department Oversight

A federal grant program supporting teachers of English learners is expected to award approximately $49 million this fall under a new oversight arrangement involving the U.S. Department of Labor.

Editorial Note

This article is provided for educational and informational purposes and does not constitute legal, grant-application, employment, or financial advice.

The federal government announced the Fiscal Year 2026 National Professional Development grant competition on May 15, 2026. The timely development reported on July 27 is that applications are now entering federal review, with awards expected by September 30.

The program has not been transferred entirely from the Department of Education to the Department of Labor. Official materials state that the Labor Department’s Employment and Training Administration is administering the competition on behalf of the Education Department.

A federal grant program designed to improve instruction for English learners is moving forward with a new group of awards and a different administrative structure.

The National Professional Development program is expected to distribute approximately $49 million to universities, school systems, state education agencies, and other eligible organizations. The funding can support teacher preparation, professional development, certification pathways, and training for educators who work with students learning English.

The application deadline closed July 14, and federal peer reviewers are scheduled to examine proposals from July 27 through August 14. Award announcements are expected by September 30. The government anticipates selecting approximately 10 to 13 projects.

The return of the competition provides a measure of relief after a turbulent period involving terminated grants, federal staff reductions, litigation, and the restructuring of the office that historically managed the program.

However, the new competition is not simply a return to normal.

The Department of Labor is taking a more direct administrative role, the number of expected awards is relatively small, and applicants are being evaluated under new federal priorities that may influence which teacher-training projects receive support.

What the National Professional Development Program Does

The National Professional Development program provides grants for projects intended to improve the quality of education available to English learners.

Eligible applicants include colleges and universities, public or private organizations with relevant experience, state education agencies, and local education agencies working through qualifying partnerships.

Projects may support educators who are still completing their preparation programs as well as teachers, school leaders, paraprofessionals, and other personnel already working in schools.

The program can help educators obtain language-instruction certifications, improve their classroom strategies, strengthen academic instruction, and develop specialized skills for working with multilingual students.

Federal law authorizes the program under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

Unlike general school funding distributed by formula, these are competitive grants. Applicants must submit proposals explaining their goals, partnerships, evidence, budgets, staffing, and expected results.

Federal reviewers then score those proposals and recommend a limited number for funding.

Approximately $49 Million Is Available

The federal government estimates that approximately $49 million will be available for the 2026 competition.

Individual awards are expected to range from approximately $500,000 to $1 million annually. A funded project may continue for up to five years, depending on its approved structure and continued compliance with federal requirements.

The government expects to make between 10 and 13 awards.

That means the competition could provide substantial support to the organizations selected, but many applicants may receive no funding.

The 2026 appropriation is also lower than the amount listed for new awards in some recent years. The Education Department reports that approximately $59.4 million was available in 2024 and about $53.1 million in 2023.

The smaller group of anticipated projects may therefore concentrate more funding in fewer recipients.

Supporters may argue that larger awards allow each project to provide deeper training and reach meaningful outcomes.

Critics may worry that fewer awards will limit geographic diversity and leave many school systems without access to federal support.

Why the Grants Matter to English Learners

English learners are students who are developing proficiency in English while also completing grade-level academic work.

They are expected to learn mathematics, science, reading, history, and other subjects while navigating language demands that may not affect their classmates in the same way.

A student may understand a scientific concept but struggle to explain it using unfamiliar academic vocabulary. Another may speak conversational English confidently but need more support reading complex texts or writing formal responses.

Serving these students effectively requires more than simplifying assignments or placing them in separate language classes.

Teachers need strategies for combining language development with rigorous academic instruction.

They must understand how to make content accessible without reducing expectations, how to assess what students know, and how to distinguish language-development needs from possible learning disabilities.

The National Professional Development program is intended to help build that educator expertise.

Why Teacher Preparation Is a Central Concern

Many schools struggle to recruit educators with formal preparation in bilingual education, English-language development, or Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.

The problem can be particularly severe in rural communities, fast-growing districts, and areas where multilingual enrollment has increased more quickly than the teaching workforce.

General-education teachers may have English learners in their classrooms even when they have received little specialized training.

English-language specialists may also manage large caseloads or divide their time among several schools.

Federal grants can help universities and districts create pathways that allow teachers to earn endorsements, licenses, graduate credentials, or other qualifications.

Some projects also use “grow-your-own” models that help paraprofessionals, community members, and bilingual school employees become licensed teachers.

These programs can strengthen the workforce by preparing educators who already understand local schools and communities.

What Changed Under the New Oversight Arrangement

The Office of English Language Acquisition historically managed the National Professional Development program.

That structure changed during the federal government’s broader reorganization of education responsibilities.

Official 2026 materials state that the Employment and Training Administration within the Department of Labor is soliciting applications in support of the program’s administration on behalf of the Department of Education.

The Education Department still identifies the grant as an Office of Elementary and Secondary Education program and continues to publish application materials, contacts, funding information, and deadlines.

The arrangement therefore appears to divide responsibilities rather than create a complete transfer.

The Labor Department’s involvement may reflect the administration’s broader emphasis on connecting education programs to employment, workforce development, and state-level priorities.

It also raises questions about how a workforce agency will approach a program historically centered on teaching quality, language development, academic research, and school partnerships.

The Program Survived a Period of Major Uncertainty

The new competition follows a difficult period for existing grant recipients.

Education Week reported that federal layoffs eliminated nearly all of the dedicated program officers who had supported the grants. More than 20 active awards were later discontinued, and affected recipients challenged some of those terminations through litigation.

The government also dismantled the English-language office that had traditionally overseen the program and moved the grants into another part of the Education Department.

Those actions created uncertainty for universities, school districts, educators, and students participating in multiyear projects.

When a grant is terminated before its expected completion date, teacher candidates may lose tuition support, coursework may be interrupted, partnerships may shrink, and districts may lose access to trained personnel.

The announcement of a new competition was therefore welcomed by some educators as evidence that the federal government would continue funding English-learner teacher development.

That optimism remains cautious because the earlier cancellations have not been fully resolved.

New Grants Do Not Restore the Terminated Projects

The return of a competition should not be confused with the restoration of previously discontinued awards.

The 2026 funding will support a new group of selected projects.

Organizations whose earlier grants were terminated were allowed to submit new proposals, but they are not guaranteed to receive replacement funding.

They must compete with other applicants under the new rules and priorities.

A successful new application may also support a redesigned project rather than restore the work exactly as it previously existed.

This distinction matters because a new competition does not necessarily repair the disruption experienced by students, educators, or institutions under terminated grants.

Legal challenges involving the cancellations may continue separately from the new award process.

Evidence-Based Literacy Is a New Competitive Priority

The 2026 competition gives additional consideration to projects that promote evidence-based literacy.

Applicants seeking priority points may need to show how their teacher training will improve reading and language instruction using practices supported by research.

This could encourage grant recipients to connect English-language development with phonological awareness, decoding, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, writing, and content-area literacy.

That connection can be valuable because English learners need access to both language instruction and strong academic reading instruction.

However, literacy programs must account for the differences between learning to read and learning a new language.

A multilingual student’s performance may be influenced by English proficiency, prior schooling, literacy in another language, instructional quality, and access to appropriate materials.

A rigid model that ignores those differences may misidentify student needs.

The strongest grant projects will likely combine evidence-based literacy practices with specialized knowledge about multilingual development.

State Endorsements Could Influence Which Projects Win

Another important change involves letters of support from governors or state education officials.

The letters are not strictly required, but applicants can receive competitive preference points when a qualifying state official endorses the project.

That could make the letters highly valuable in a close competition.

Supporters may argue that state endorsements encourage coordination between universities, districts, and statewide workforce priorities.

They may also help ensure that grant projects address areas where teacher shortages are most severe.

Critics may worry that the requirement gives political officials more influence over educational grants that were previously driven more heavily by research quality and local school partnerships.

A strong proposal from a university or district could be placed at a disadvantage if state leaders decline to provide a letter.

The effect may vary considerably among states, especially where education officials and university leaders disagree about bilingual education, immigration, literacy instruction, or federal policy.

Tribal Education Is Also Prioritized

The competition provides preference for qualifying projects operated by tribes, tribal organizations, or tribal education agencies.

This priority could support teacher development in communities where students learn English alongside Indigenous languages or where schools face persistent staffing shortages.

Tribal schools may need educators who understand local culture, language preservation, sovereignty, community expectations, and the effects of historical federal education policies.

A grant program can be more effective when projects are designed with communities rather than imposed on them.

The priority may help increase the number of Indigenous educators and strengthen partnerships between tribal education agencies, universities, and local schools.

Why Universities Are Important to the Program

Universities often provide the coursework, research capacity, credentialing systems, and faculty expertise needed to operate large teacher-development projects.

They may partner with school districts to identify staffing needs, recruit candidates, place teachers in classrooms, and evaluate whether training improves instruction.

A university-led project could help a classroom teacher earn an English-learner endorsement without leaving full-time employment.

Another project could recruit bilingual paraprofessionals into teacher-licensure programs.

A research team might also study whether coaching, co-teaching, or specific language-development strategies improve student outcomes.

These partnerships can connect academic research with practical school needs.

They can also fail when universities design programs without enough input from teachers, families, or local communities.

Federal reviewers should therefore examine whether proposed partnerships are genuine and whether school districts have meaningful roles in decision-making.

What the Shift to the Labor Department Could Mean

The Labor Department’s involvement may bring a stronger workforce-development perspective to the grant program.

That could lead to greater attention to teacher shortages, credential pathways, labor-market demand, career advancement, and measurable employment outcomes.

Those goals are relevant.

Schools need qualified educators, and teacher-preparation grants should result in people completing credentials and entering or remaining in the profession.

However, education cannot be reduced to workforce statistics.

A project may successfully place teachers in jobs while still failing to improve classroom instruction. It may produce credentials without preparing educators to serve multilingual students effectively.

The program should therefore maintain clear educational standards even as workforce agencies become more involved.

Success should include teacher retention, instructional quality, student access, educator confidence, and improved learning—not merely the number of participants hired.

What Applicants Are Being Asked to Demonstrate

Applicants must explain how their projects will improve instruction for English learners and help educational personnel meet professional standards.

They must also provide a management plan, budget, objectives, timelines, and measures for evaluating progress.

Federal reviewers may consider the significance of the problem being addressed, the quality of the proposed project, the strength of the management plan, and the adequacy of the evaluation.

Applicants need to show that their proposed activities are realistic and that federal money will supplement rather than replace existing state or local funding.

The review period is scheduled to run from July 27 through August 14.

Final selections are expected by September 30, although federal timelines can change.

The Limited Number of Awards Raises Equity Questions

A national competition resulting in only 10 to 13 awards cannot directly address every English-learner teacher shortage.

Some states or regions may receive multiple strong applications, while others may submit none.

Large universities with experienced grant-writing teams may also be better positioned than smaller institutions, rural colleges, or community-based organizations.

Federal officials say the program is intended to consider geographic diversity and student need.

Even so, competitive grants often reward organizations that already have the staffing and administrative capacity to manage complex applications.

The government should monitor whether funded projects reach rural districts, small schools, tribal communities, and regions with rapidly growing multilingual populations.

It should also publish clear explanations of the selection results.

How the Grants Could Affect Students

Students will not receive this money directly.

The intended benefit comes through better-prepared educators and stronger school programs.

A successful project could help a district hire bilingual teachers, improve language instruction, train classroom educators, or provide coaching to school leaders.

Students may benefit from clearer explanations, stronger literacy instruction, more appropriate assessments, and better coordination between general-education and language specialists.

Families may also benefit when schools hire educators who understand multilingual communities and can communicate more effectively across languages.

The impact will depend on whether the training changes classroom practice rather than remaining limited to workshops or university coursework.

Professional Development Must Be Sustained

One-time training sessions rarely transform teaching on their own.

Educators need time to practice new strategies, receive feedback, examine student work, collaborate with colleagues, and adjust instruction.

Effective professional development is usually sustained, connected to classroom needs, and supported by coaching or professional learning communities.

Grant recipients should avoid measuring success only through attendance or completion certificates.

They should examine whether teachers use the strategies, whether they remain in the profession, and whether students gain better access to academic content.

The five-year project period available under the program could support this deeper approach.

Why This Development Is Both Positive and Unsettled

The return of the competition is positive because the federal government is continuing to invest in the preparation of educators serving English learners.

The approximately $49 million commitment could create new certification pathways, strengthen university-district partnerships, and help address persistent teacher shortages.

The development is unsettled because it follows grant cancellations, office closures, federal layoffs, and a major administrative restructuring.

Applicants do not yet know which projects will win.

Existing recipients whose grants were terminated do not know whether they will recover their funding.

Educators also do not yet know how Labor Department involvement will shape the program after the initial competition.

The September award announcements will provide a clearer picture.

How New To Education Covers Multilingual Education

New To Education publishes accessible reporting and analysis on English learners, TESOL, bilingual education, teacher preparation, federal grants, education law, and policies affecting schools and families.

Multilingual education is often discussed only through immigration politics or test scores.

The more practical question is whether schools have enough qualified educators to help students learn English while also succeeding academically.

Teacher training, certification, professional development, and retention are central to that challenge.

New To Education also supports learners and educators through tutoring, educational consulting, professional learning, translation-related services, and a growing community platform.

Key Takeaways

The Fiscal Year 2026 National Professional Development grant competition will provide approximately $49 million for projects supporting educators who work with English learners.

Applications closed July 14, and peer review is scheduled from July 27 through August 14.

The government expects to announce approximately 10 to 13 awards by September 30.

Projects may receive as much as $1 million per year and may operate for up to five years.

The Labor Department’s Employment and Training Administration is helping administer the competition on behalf of the Education Department.

The 2026 priorities include evidence-based literacy, tribal education, and letters of endorsement from governors or state education officials.

The new competition does not automatically restore more than 20 previously discontinued grants.

The program’s long-term value will depend on whether funded projects improve teacher preparation, classroom instruction, workforce retention, and student outcomes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the National Professional Development program?

It is a federal competitive-grant program that supports teacher preparation and professional development intended to improve instruction for English learners.

How much funding is available?

The federal government estimates that approximately $49 million is available for the 2026 competition.

How many awards are expected?

Officials anticipate selecting approximately 10 to 13 projects.

When will the winners be announced?

The Education Department says awards are expected to be announced by September 30, 2026.

Has the program moved completely to the Labor Department?

No. Official documents say the Labor Department’s Employment and Training Administration is administering the competition on behalf of the Education Department. The Education Department continues to identify and publish information about the program.

Who was allowed to apply?

Eligible applicants included qualifying colleges, universities, state education agencies, school districts, and public or private organizations operating through required partnerships.

Are the previously canceled grants being restored?

Not automatically. The new competition funds a new cohort. Organizations affected by previous cancellations had to submit new applications if they wanted to compete for 2026 funding.

Why are state endorsement letters controversial?

They can earn applicants preference points, potentially giving governors or state education officials greater influence over which projects are most competitive.

Final Thoughts

The return of the National Professional Development competition is an encouraging development for schools struggling to find and retain educators qualified to work with English learners.

Approximately $49 million can support meaningful teacher-preparation pathways, certification programs, professional development, and university-school partnerships.

However, the new competition also reflects the instability surrounding federal education policy.

The program has lost staff, moved between offices, experienced grant terminations, and entered a new oversight arrangement involving the Department of Labor.

The government must now demonstrate that the restructuring will improve administration rather than create additional confusion.

The most important measure will not be which agency manages the paperwork.

It will be whether teachers receive strong preparation, whether schools gain qualified staff, and whether multilingual students receive the rigorous and accessible education they deserve.

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