ED's mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.
The Hawkins Program aims to enhance teacher preparation programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges or Universities (TCUs), and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), such as Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). It focuses on creating centers of excellence that support the entire teacher preparation pipeline, including recruitment, preparation, support, placement, retention, and retraining of teachers primarily for under-resourced schools serving underserved students. The goal is to increase and retain a diverse and well-prepared teacher workforce, aiming to close opportunity and achievement gaps in the nation’s most underserved elementary and secondary schools. Applicants are encouraged to incorporate evidence-based practices into their teacher preparation programs.