ED Announces Augustus F. Hawkins Center of Excellence Program

On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Education announced the first-ever Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence Program grants with awards totaling over $18M. The program, “[N]amed for Augustus F. Hawkins, the first Black politician elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from west of the Mississippi River, supports comprehensive, high-quality teacher preparation programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs).”

Currently, only 20% of educators come from communities of color. This program aims to increase that percentage through grants to institutions that are uniquely positioned to “recruit, prepare, and place teachers who will provide culturally and linguistically responsive teaching in underserved schools.” Awards ranged from $1,341,279 to $1,599,946 and recipients included: California State University Dominguez Hills, Metropolitan State University, Florida International University. University of Hawaii, National Louis University, Bowie State University, William Patterson University of New Jersey, Medgar Evers College of the City of New York, Northeastern State University, University of Texas El Paso, University of Houston Clear Lake, and Sam Houston State University.

In addition to teacher preparation, some grants included preparation of paraprofessionals and the expansion of preparation of special education teachers. CEC, along with partner organizations, has and continues to advocate for the program as a critical component of diversifying the educator pipeline. It was funded for the first time in Fiscal Year 2022.

Read the announcement here.