U.S. Department of Education Official Announces $684,373 Grant to School of Excellence in Education in San Antonio to Reward Effective Teaching

San Antonio, Texas— U.S. Department of Education Chief of Staff David Dunn today joined U.S. Sen. John Cornyn at Rick Hawkins High School to announce a $684,373 grant to the School of Excellence in Education (SEE) in San Antonio, Texas to provide financial incentives to teachers and principals who improve student achievement and close achievement gaps in high-poverty schools. The grant will also be used to recruit effective teachers to those schools, particularly for hard-to-staff subjects like math, science and special education. This grant is expected to be funded for five years for a total of $3.2 million. Dunn presented the award on behalf of U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.

“If we expect results for every child, as we do with No Child Left Behind, then we must support teachers who get the job done in America’s toughest classrooms,” Spellings said. “These grants will help encourage our most effective teachers to work in challenging schools where they can make a real difference in the lives of young people.”

“This funding is used to encourage school districts and states to develop and implement innovative performance-based compensation systems that reward teachers and principals for raising student achievement and for taking positions in high-need schools. The initiative helps our children and it works,” U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said.

The grant will fund the Teachers and Principals Awarded for Student Achievement (TAPSA) program, which focuses on recruitment and retention of highly qualified teachers in subjects like math and science, as well as promote an atmosphere for student-teacher and teacher-teacher mentor programs at six high-needs campuses encompassing about 2,300 students.

The Teacher Incentive Fund program is President Bush’s initiative to develop and implement performance-based teacher and principal compensation systems in high-need, disadvantaged schools, where at least 30 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The goals of the program are to improve student achievement by rewarding effective principals and teachers, and, at the same time, increase the number of effective teachers serving minority and disadvantaged students. The Department is awarding 18 five-year TIF grants for a total of $38,248,518 I their first year.