Teacher Leadership Fellowship-EPIIC

The Teacher Leadership Fellowship-EPIIC is a grant program administered by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), authorized under Title II, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). This program is designed to strengthen teacher retention in Texas by cultivating leadership among highly effective educators through structured development and support opportunities. Specifically, the fellowship is intended to build capacity within the teaching workforce by empowering teacher leaders to drive innovation and collaboration across the state's education systems. The fellowship is structured to serve a cohort of up to 40 teacher leaders. These individuals will engage in monthly leadership development sessions throughout the 2026–2027 school year. In recognition of their commitment and participation, each teacher fellow will receive a $1,500 stipend. The fellowship culminates in the coordination and execution of a statewide Teacher Leadership Fellowship kickoff event for the subsequent 2027–2028 cycle, with fellows playing an integral role in setting the direction and tone for the program’s future. The eligible applicant for this grant is the Region 13 Education Service Center (ESC) – specifically, the Educator Preparation Innovation and Improvement Center. Shared Services Arrangements (SSAs) are not permitted under this program. Grantees will be responsible for administering stipends, coordinating fellowship logistics, facilitating the development sessions, and planning the kickoff meeting for the next cycle. Funds are reimbursed through TEA’s Expenditure Reporting (ER) system, and pre-award costs are allowable from April 1, 2026, provided they are documented and approved. Funds for the Teacher Leadership Fellowship total $120,000, with 100% of the funding originating from federal sources. These funds may be used for a limited range of expenses, including payroll, professional services, supplies, and approved conference-related costs. Specifically, the grant allows stipends for participating teachers, travel reimbursement for the kickoff meeting, and hosting the fellowship kickoff event. However, expenses such as out-of-state travel, technology purchases, capital outlays, and student travel are expressly disallowed. The application window for the 2026–2027 cycle opens on March 17, 2026, and closes on May 15, 2026. Applications must be submitted through the Standard Application System (SAS), which consists of both narrative PDF schedules and budget Excel schedules. There is no pre-application requirement such as a letter of intent or concept paper. Selection will be based on alignment with statutory and TEA program requirements, and grantees must comply with fingerprinting regulations outlined in the Texas Education Code. Performance measures for this grant include recruitment and selection of fellows by March 2027, stipend distribution by May 2027, and the execution of the kickoff meeting by June 2027. Contact information for program and funding questions is available, with Kyla Jaramillo serving as the primary grant program contact. A complete and downloadable version of the program guidelines is provided via the TEA’s eGrants system.