US Department of Education and US Department of Labor announce first grant competitions under elementary and secondary education partnership

WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. 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 represent the next step in the Trump Administration's efforts to align workforce and education programs, expand education freedom, and bolster educator effectiveness.

Today's announcement kicks off ED's FY 2026 K-12 education grant competitions, with additional competitions to follow later this spring and summer. As ED and DOL deepen their partnership to better coordinate elementary and secondary education programs, awards for these competitions will be issued through DOL's GrantSolutions, a grants management platform.

"These grant competitions mark an important milestone in our efforts to support our nation's teachers and empower families with education choice," said 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," said 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 previous Administration, these competitions prioritized grantees who focused on promoting race- and identity-based programs rather than improving student academic achievement and teacher retention. Now, the Trump Administration is using Secretary McMahon's Supplemental Priorities to prioritize grantees who will focus on meaningful learning opportunities for students, including supporting families to provide at-home learning, pilot and/or scale innovative education workforce and employment models that emphasize merit, meet industry's needs, and return education to the states.

Background:

In November 2025, ED announced six new Interagency Agreements (IAAs) with four agencies to break up the Federal education bureaucracy, ensure efficient delivery of funded programs, and move closer 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 through an IAA, a tool routinely utilized by government agencies to procure services, share resources, and ensure efficient service delivery. Under this partnership and in accordance with 31 U.S.C. § 1535, DOL will help manage grant funds, provide technical assistance, and integrate ED's teacher workforce programs with the suite of programs that DOL already administers.

ED and DOL will continue to provide grantees with additional guidance as these efforts are implemented.

For more information on these grant competitions, please visit each grant notice on grants.gov:

• Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) - IAL supports high-quality programs designed to develop and improve literacy skills for children and students from birth through 12th grade in high-need local educational agencies and schools.
• Teacher and School Leader Incentive (TSL) - TSL supports entities in implementing, improving, or expanding their Human Capital Management System, which must include a Performance-Based Compensation System.