NCTE Asks Congress to Halt Federal Grant Cancellations

The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is urging members of Congress to take action in response to the US Education Department canceling important federal teacher preparation and development program grants.

NCTE joined more than 100 teacher and education organizations in signing a letter asking lawmakers to direct the Department to reverse the cancellation of grants from the programs Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED), Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP), and Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program (TSL).

The full impact of the cancellations is still being assessed because the Department has not revealed how many programs have been terminated. However, we are aware that cancelations are affecting literacy education in K–12 schools, colleges, and universities in all parts of the country. The letter notes these two instances among multiple examples:

• In Michigan, a TQP grant focused on addressing teacher shortages and another grant on literacy instruction were canceled.
• In Tennessee, the cancellation of SEED grants has stopped work in rural Tennessee designed to enhance instructional leadership in STEM, literacy, and computational thinking.

“Research shows that the quality of preparation matters for teacher retention and student outcomes, which in turn impact our economic competitiveness and national security,” the letter reads. “Instead of abruptly canceling grants, we should be doubling down on investments to ensure students have access to a highly qualified educator workforce.”

Other organizations to sign the letter include ALA, the American Library Association; NCTM, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics; AACTE, the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education; and NCTR, the National Center for Teacher Residencies.

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