CFDA Number: 84.925
Program Type: Noncompetitive grants
Also Known As: Advanced Credentialing, formerly the Eisenhower Federal Program

This program supports activities to encourage and support teachers seeking advanced certification or advanced credentialing through high quality professional teacher enhancement programs designed to improve teaching and learning.

The program provides grants to develop teacher standards that include measures tied to increased student academic achievement and grants to promote outreach, teacher recruitment, and teacher subsidy or teacher support programs—related to teacher certification or credentialing such as the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), or other nationally recognized certification or credentialing organizations.

In FY 2010, Congress provided $10.6 million to the Advanced Certification or Advanced Credentialing program to provide funding to the NBPTS to encourage and support teachers seeking advanced certification or advanced credentialing. The goal of the NBPTS is to certify outstanding teachers who will improve student achievement in the nation's schools. More than 82,000 teachers have achieved national board certification since 1995, in all 50 states, and the District of Columbia. The Federal funding has provided resources for the research and development of the standards and assessments for 25 certificates in 16 content areas. The FY 2010 funding primarily will be used to expand beyond the NBPTS original goal to certify individual teachers to a whole school or whole district model specifically targeted to the highest need schools and districts. Primary uses of the new funding will be to: 1) provide resources and other supports to teachers in high-poverty/low-performing schools to assist them to become nationally board certified, 2) target outreach, recruitment and support programs for these teacher candidates; 3) update standards in the assessment process, and 4) conduct research on the NBPTS certification system.