Program Office: Institutional Service
CFDA Numbers: 84.116K (FY 2022 only) and 84.428A
Program Type: Discretionary/Competitive Grants
Also Known As: Hawkins Program

The Hawkins Program, authorized under Part B of Title II of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), is designed to support comprehensive, high-quality State-accredited teacher preparation programs by creating centers of excellence at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Tribal Colleges or Universities (TCUs); or Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), such as Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). The Hawkins Program will help increase the number of, and retain, well-prepared teachers from diverse backgrounds, resulting in a more diverse teacher workforce prepared to teach in our Nation’s most underserved elementary and secondary schools and close student opportunity and achievement gaps. This program focuses on the various aspects of the teacher preparation pipeline, including the recruitment, preparation, support, placement, retention, and retraining of teachers for and in under-resourced schools to support underserved students. Through this program, the Secretary seeks to fund applicants that propose to incorporate evidence-based practices into their teacher preparation program.

Grant(s) awarded under the 2024 and subsequent programs are for a period of up to five years. Required 2024 and subsequent years grant activities must include projects that:

• Designed to increase the number of well-prepared teachers and the diversity of the teacher workforce with a focus on increasing and retaining a diverse teacher workforce, and improving the preparation, recruitment, retention, and placement of such teachers.
• Evidence-based (as defined in 34 CFR 77.1) comprehensive teacher preparation programs that provide extensive clinical experience.
• Examine the sources of inequity and inadequacy in resources and opportunity and implement pedagogical practices in teacher preparation programs that are inclusive with regard to race, ethnicity, culture, language, gender, and disability status and that prepare teachers to create inclusive, supportive, equitable, unbiased, and identity-safe learning environments for their students.
• Prepare teacher candidates to integrate rigorous academic content, including through the effective use of technology, and instructional techniques and strategies consistent with universal design for learning principles.
• Prepare teacher candidates to design and deliver instruction in ways that are engaging and provide their students with opportunities to think critically and solve complex problems, apply learning in authentic and real-world settings, communicate and collaborate effectively, and develop growth mindsets. Teacher candidate pedagogy should include how to incorporate project-based, work-based, or other experiential learning opportunities in curriculum development.
• Prepare teacher candidates to build meaningful and trusting relationships with students and their families to support in-home, community-based, and in-school learning.
• Provide sustained and high-quality pre-service clinical experiences, including teaching assistant initiatives, that facilitate the pathway to the teaching credential for those with paraprofessional experience or high-quality school leader pre-service training, induction, and support in the first three years of school leadership for principals and other school leaders. In designing such experiences, applicants must consider opportunities to provide pre-service clinical experience earlier in the teacher preparation program, as is practicable, and in ways that benefit students and teachers.

Grant(s) awarded under the 2022 and 2023 programs are for a period of up to four years. Required 2022 and 2023 grant activities must include projects that:

• (a) Examine the sources of inequity and inadequacy in resources and opportunity and implement pedagogical practices in teacher preparation programs that are inclusive with regard to race, ethnicity, culture, language, and disability status and that prepare teachers to create inclusive, supportive, equitable, unbiased, and identity-safe learning environments for their students;

• (b) Prepare teacher candidates to integrate rigorous academic content, including through the effective use of technology, instructional techniques, and strategies consistent with universal design for learning principles in pedagogical practices and classroom features to improve student achievement;

• (c) Prepare teacher candidates to design and deliver instruction in ways that are engaging and provide their students with opportunities to think critically and solve complex problems, apply learning in authentic and real-world settings, communicate and collaborate effectively, and develop academic mindsets, including through project-based, work-based, or other experiential learning opportunities;

• (d) Prepare teacher candidates to build meaningful and trusting relationships with their students’ families to support in-home, community-based, and in-school learning; and

• (e) Provide sustained and high-quality preservice clinical experiences, including teaching assistant initiatives that facilitate the pathway to the teaching credential for those with paraprofessional experience; and provide mentoring of teacher candidates by exemplary teachers, which substantially increases interaction between the institution’s faculty and new teachers and school site and district administrators in high-need LEAs or hard-to-staff schools to support and retain teachers.

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