FY2027: Strengthening English as a Second Language ESL Programming and Services
Forecasted
FY2027: Strengthening English as a Second Language ESL Programming and Services supports districts with ESL curriculum work and teacher hubs to strengthen instruction and expand the ESL educator pipeline.
Funder: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Due Dates (Anticipated): August 2027 (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: Approximately $750,000 total in the FY2027 RFP; school-year funding with an optional summer portion
Summary: Supports high-quality ESL curriculum and “grow your own” teacher hubs that expand the ESL educator pipeline.
Key Information: Award recipients must share student-level early literacy screening data for program research.
Description
This competitive state grant is administered by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Language Acquisition under Fund Code 0182. Aligned with DESE’s Educational Vision, it supports districts serving English learners by strengthening English as a Second Language (ESL) curriculum and increasing the number of ESL teachers. Districts may apply for either goal or both.
Curriculum projects follow one of three paths: evaluate and select materials, evaluate and develop curriculum, or implement and monitor curriculum. The teacher-pipeline goal supports creating or cultivating a “grow your own” ESL teacher hub, combining training alongside a mentor teacher with concurrent coursework toward ESL licensure. Priority goes to districts and schools in the strategic transformation region and/or LEAs with a participating school in the bottom 25% of MCAS proficiency rates.
