FY2027: Title II, Part A: Supporting Effective Instruction

Fund Code: 0140

Purpose:

Title II, Part A of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) provides supplemental resources to school districts to improve high quality systems of support for excellent teaching and leading.

Title II, Part A is one of four principal programs that are available to districts through formula grants under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the current reauthorization of ESEA. The other programs are Title I, Part A; Title III, Part A; and Title IV, Part A.

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is guided by its Educational Vision where:

• All students in Massachusetts, particularly students from historically underserved groups and communities, will have equitable opportunities to excel in all content areas across all grades.
• Culturally and linguistically sustaining classroom and school practices will support students to thrive by creating affirming environments where students have a sense of belonging, engage in deeper learning, and are held to high expectations with targeted support.

DESE partners with districts, schools, and programs to:

Cultivate systems to support the whole student and foster joyful, healthy, and supportive learning environments so that all students feel valued, connected, nourished, and ready to learn. Strategic Objective 1 — "Whole Student"

Promote deeper learning so that all students engage in grade-level work that is real-world, relevant, and interactive. Strategic Objective 2 — "Deeper Learning"

Develop and sustain a workforce that is diverse, culturally responsive, well-prepared, and committed to continuous improvement, so that all students have equitable access to effective educators. Strategic Objective 3 — "Diverse and Effective Workforce"

Applicants for this grant opportunity should be intentional in the use of grant funds to support at least one of these strategic objectives.

Priorities:

The priorities of Title II, Part A are to:

1. increase student achievement consistent with challenging State academic standards;
2. improve the quality and effectiveness of teachers, principals, and other school leaders;
3. increase the number of teachers, principals, and other school leaders who are effective in improving student academic achievement in schools; and
4. provide low-income and minority students equitable access to effective teachers, principals, and other school leaders.

Eligibility:

Funds are awarded by formula to each school district. Subject to appropriation, 20% of the funds are distributed to districts based on the relative numbers of individuals ages 5 through 17 who reside in the area the district serves (based on the most recent census data); and 80 percent of the funds must be distributed to districts based on the relative numbers of individuals ages 5 through 17 who reside in the area the district serves and who are from families with incomes below the poverty line (based on the most recent Census data). (ESEA section 2102(a)). Grants are awarded to local school districts after the state reviews and approves a district's grant application.

Funding Type:

Federal CFDA: 84.367A Title II, Part A: Supporting Effective Instruction

Federal grant funds must adhere to:

• UGG (2 CFR 200)
• EDGAR As Applicable
• EDGAR General Fiscal Administration 34 CFR Part 76

Funding:

FY27 Fund Code 0140 Title II, Part A District Allocations will be posted at Grant Allocations & Awards page when they become available.

This RFP is the governing document for these grant funds.

Funding is contingent upon availability. All dollar amounts listed are estimated/approximate and are subject to change. If more funding becomes available for allocations, it will be distributed under the same guidelines that appear in this RFP document.

Fund Use:

Section 2103(b)(1) of the Every Student Succeeds Act outlines the local uses of funds. A school district may use funds for training, recruiting, and retaining high-quality educators, including teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals. Funds must supplement, and not supplant, non-federal funds that would otherwise be used for activities authorized under this subpart.

All expenditures are reviewed to ensure they are allowable, allocable, and reasonable in alignment with the priorities of this grant program.

Project Duration:

Upon Approval (No Earlier than 7/1/2026)* through 9/ 30 /2028**

* Grant start date cannot be prior to DESE receiving a substantially approvable Application Submission as directed in this RFP's Submission Instructions. Goods and Services cannot be procured prior to DESE receiving and approving an application submission. Funds cannot exceed the project duration end date. The Grant Award Notice (GAN) issued in GEM$ is the official award notice for grant funds.

**The obligation end date for these grant funds covers multiple state fiscal years. Grantees should obligate and expend grant funding throughout the grant lifecycle. Grant balances can be liquidated on this award through November 30, 2028, through the GEM$ reimbursement request process. 

Grantees must file a Final Expenditure Report (FER) to close out the grant by December 31, 2028. Grantees may file FERs ahead of this deadline if grant funds have been paid in full across each section of the consolidated grant, or after the obligation end date has passed, whichever comes first. If grant funds are not liquidated by November 30, 2028, the FER filing can be used to claim final balances if it is submitted on or before December 31, 2028.

Program Unit:

Strategy, Monitoring and Compliance/Federal Grant Programs

Contact:

Federal Grant Programs

Phone Number:

(781) 338-6230

Date Due:

Wednesday, September 9, 2026

Required Forms:

FY27 Federal Grant Assurances — Signature Pages (Pages i and ii only) completed and signed by the Superintendent/Executive Director and uploaded in GEM$ in the LEA Document Library under Assurances, in folder Federal Entitlement Grant Assurances. We cannot approve any federal entitlement grant without a signed, properly dated and uploaded Federal Grant Assurance signature page.

Additional Information:

• Title II, Part A Quick Reference Guide on allowable and unallowable costs

• Supporting Effective Instruction — Title II, Part A

• Using Title IIA Funds to Strategically Support Educator Recruitment, Retention, Professional Learning and Improved Student Outcomes

• Supporting a Diverse Educator Workforce to Strengthen Teaching and Learning

• Induction and Mentoring Resources

• Massachusetts Standards for Professional Development

• ESSA Family Engagement Resources

• Guidance on Private School Equitable Services under ESSA

• Evidence-Based Practices: How Do We Know Initiative

• Research Brief: Massachusetts Class Size Reduction

• Grants for Schools: Getting Them and Using Them, A Procedural Manual

• Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR)

Note: Applicants may only legally claim expenses to the grant starting from the date of final DESE approval. The start date for the grant is the date on which the district submits substantially approvable budget and information for the grant. Therefore, to expedite approval, it is essential to have district staff that can be reached in July and August to respond to questions, as needed.

Submission Instructions:

The FY27 Fund Code 0140 Title II, Part A: Supporting Effective Instruction grant must be completed and submitted in the Grants for Education Management System (GEM$).

Grant Submission at the LEA level requires roles to be established for Grant writer for the specific fund code, LEA fiscal representative for financial review/approval, and Superintendent/Chief Executive sign off. All roles should be established prior to the grant due date, and all appropriate forms should be either uploaded to GEM$, maintained at the LEA level or sent in to the DESE RFP contact as described on the individual forms.

The user guidance documents and forms are found on the GEM$ homepage under DESE Resources. These forms can be accessed without logging in to the system.

Last Updated: May 28, 2026