$28M Grants To Boost Diverse Educator Workforce

U.S. Department of Education Additionally Releases New Data on Public Service Loan Forgiveness Approvals in Every State

The U.S. Department of Education (Department) today announced more than $28 million in new awards in the Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) program to recruit, prepare, develop, and retain a strong, effective, and diverse educator workforce for classrooms across the country.

The Department also released new data showing the breakdown of borrowers approved for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) in every state. The data showcase how every state has borrowers, including educators, that are part of the $69.2 billion for nearly 947,000 borrowers that have seen relief through this program. By contrast, at the start of this Administration only 7,000 had been approved for PSLF.

“Nothing matters more in public education than making sure every child has access to great teachers, and that means well-prepared, well-supported, well-compensated, and fully empowered teachers,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “Today’s announcement is the result of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to making record investments in teacher residency programs, Grow-Your-Own programs, teacher apprenticeship and other comprehensive, high-quality, locally-driven, evidence-based educator preparation initiatives. If we want to Raise the Bar for our students and create an educator workforce that reflects the beautiful diversity of this country, we must expand and support new pathways into the teaching profession.”

This announcement comes as Secretary Cardona is embarking on his 2024 Back to School Bus Tour with stops in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. This year’s theme, “Fighting for Public Education,” highlights how school communities are using the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic investments in public education to implement evidence-based, promising, and innovative strategies and accelerate academic success and support students of all ages and backgrounds. The 2024 Bus Tour is celebrating public education as the American system that opened the door for so many of our nation’s success stories: from astronauts to astrophysicists, writers to engineers, musicians to mathematicians, innovative entrepreneurs in the private sector to great leaders in the public sector.

Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) grants

To support efforts to recruit, prepare, develop, and retain a strong educator workforce, the Department is awarding $28 million in 18 new TQP grants. The TQP program funds teacher preparation programs in high-need communities at colleges and universities for the undergraduate, “fifth-year” level, and for teaching residency programs for individuals new to teaching with strong academic and professional backgrounds. The central feature of all TQP grantees is a strong partnership between the teacher preparation program and the school districts they serve, which is often facilitated by mentor teachers that coach and prepare incoming educators. In addition, numerous awardees responded to an invitational priority, focused on the establishment of Grow Your Own (GYO) and registered apprenticeship programs for teachers. These programs encourage members of the community – from high school students to paraprofessionals and other career changers – to pursue teaching careers while also enhancing educator diversity, reflecting the Department’s interest in learning from applicants proposing GYO projects.

The Biden-Harris Administration has increased annual funding for this program by 34 percent, or nearly $18 million per year. At the same time, the Department has worked with States and the U.S. Department of Labor to grow the number that have approved registered apprenticeship programs for teachers, from 0 in 2021 to 38 States, D.C., and Puerto Rico today, and, in total, hundreds of millions in Department funds have been invested in Grow Your Own programs.

A list of all the FY 24 grantees can be found below:

State-by-State PSLF

The new PSLF data shows the breakdown of borrowers approved for PSLF by state following additional PSLF discharges announced in July 2024. The approvals contained in the data are representative of the Administration’s unceasing efforts to fix the broken student loan system and restore the promise of forgiveness programs. The Administration has helped fix longstanding problems with PSLF through the limited PSLF waiver, while the payment count adjustment has also ensured that borrowers get accurate counts of progress toward forgiveness. Additionally, Congressional districts across the country have been approved for $87 million in relief. Outside of the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, the Congressional districts with the largest number of borrowers who have been approved for debt relief are New York’s 20th, Maryland’s 5th, Virginia’s 8th, New York’s 25th, and Florida’s 2nd district.

In addition to fixes to the PSLF Program, such as the limited PSLF waiver, the Biden-Harris Administration has also implemented long-term improvements to PSLF to make it easier for borrowers to participate in the program. As of July 1, 2024, the PSLF Program is now fully managed by the Department through StudentAid.gov, rather than by a single, specialty loan servicer. That means that, for the first time, borrowers can manage all aspects of their PSLF journey on StudentAid.gov, including submitting their PSLF form and tracking their progress toward forgiveness. These updates will simplify the process for borrowers and allow for faster processing of PSLF forms. These improvements have been in the works since day one of the Administration as part of the Department’s efforts to overhaul loan servicing and implement significant improvements to all of its loan forgiveness programs, including PSLF.

An unparalleled track record of borrower assistance

The Biden-Harris Administration has taken historic steps to reduce the burden of student debt and ensure that student loans are not a barrier to educational and economic opportunity for students and families. The Administration secured a $900 increase to the maximum Pell Grant-the largest increase in a decade -and finalized new rules to help protect borrowers from career programs that leave graduates with unaffordable debts or insufficient earnings. The Administration continues its work to issue debt relief regulations under the Higher Education Act, with regulations expected this fall.

In addition to the relief under PSLF, the Biden-Harris Administration has also approved:

• $51 billion for more than 1 million borrowers through administrative adjustments to income-driven repayment payment counts. These adjustments have brought borrowers closer to forgiveness and addressed longstanding concerns with the misuse of forbearance by loan servicers.
• $28.7 billion for more than 1.6 million borrowers who were cheated by their schools, saw their institutions precipitously close, or are covered by related court settlements.
• $16.2 billion for more than 571,000 borrowers with a total and permanent disability.
• $5.5 billion for 414,000 borrowers through the SAVE Plan.

Data as of mid-August 2024