Grants totaling over $120 million were announced by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition. The grants fall under the National Professional Development Program and will be distributed over the next five years.

The grants can be used to pay for or supplement professional development around English Language Learners. They can be awarded to educators in order to further their skills and knowledge base around English language learning. This includes professional development, certifications, licensing programs, and other opportunities that explicitly support the mission of English language instruction.

The U.S. Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, a former English Language Learner himself, says this grant will enable schools to develop a stable of teachers capable of helping students reach their full potential.

“As our nation grows more diverse than ever before, we must level up our investments in educators who can provide students from all backgrounds with equitable opportunities to succeed,” said Cardona. “This $120 million, five-year investment will support high quality professional development and teacher preparation programs across the country. It will also help us grow a pipeline of diverse and talented educators who can help more English learners realize their own bilingual and multilingual superpowers.”    

It is estimated that there are over 5 million English learners in US public schools.