Dear County and District Superintendents, Charter School Administrators, and Interested Parties:

2022 Request for Applications for the Educator Workforce Investment Grant

The California Department of Education (CDE) Special Education Division (SED) and the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence are pleased to announce the availability of the Request for Application (RFA) for the Educator Workforce Investment Grant (EWIG): Special Education-Related Professional Development. An amount of $10 million dollars is allocated to coordinate and support this professional development for teachers and paraprofessionals across the state.

One or more grantees will be selected to work collaboratively with the Statewide System of Support to deliver professional learning for teachers and paraprofessionals statewide within the area of universal design for learning (UDL) to improve inclusive practices for all pupils, including pupils with disabilities, in general education settings. Professional learning opportunities for teachers, paraprofessionals, school leaders, and counselors should include strategies for high-quality instruction and special education-related professional development aligned to the Quality Professional Learning Standards (QPLS).

Lead applicants must be a county office of education (COE) with expertise in developing and providing high-quality professional learning to teachers and paraprofessionals in public schools serving transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. Applicants may submit an application in partnership with one or more institutions of higher education (IHE) or one or more nonprofit organizations (NPO). Applicants must be able to demonstrate knowledge and capacity to implement special education-related professional development in a manner that aligns with the Statewide System of Support. If multiple COEs choose to partner, a lead applicant must be identified. Positive consideration will be given to applications from a COE or consortium of COEs that were part of the consortia awarded a grant as part of the EWIG program established pursuant to Section 84 of Chapter 51 of the Statutes of 2019.

Interested applicants are required to submit the EWIG: Special Education-Related Professional Development Intent to Submit an Application Form (Form B) to the CDE SED by email at SEEWIG@cde.ca.gov by 4 p.m. on February 28, 2023. Submitting this form does not require an organization to submit an application; however, an application will not be accepted unless the form is submitted and received by the CDE on time. The fillable PDF Form B: Intent to Submit an Application Form can be found on the CDE Funding web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/r18/seewig23rfa.asp.

All applicants must submit a complete online application, including all required components, to the CDE SED by 4 p.m. on March 15, 2023. The link to access the online application is available on the CDE Funding web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/r18/seewig23rfa.asp. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.

A technical assistance webinar regarding the EWIG: Special Education-Related Professional Development RFA will take place on February 15, 2023, at 11 a.m. For additional information, please see https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/r18/seewig23rfa.asp.

If you have any questions regarding this RFA, please contact the Special Education Division by email at SEEWIG@cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

Heather Calomese, Director
Special Education Division