Greetings from TEA!

We are thrilled to announce the beginning of our grant, Strong Foundations Planning, aimed at developing instructional frameworks grounded in Research-based Instructional Strategies. This marks the beginning of an exciting journey towards empowering our educators and students with innovative teaching methodologies and resources.

As we embark on this transformative endeavor, we invite you to seize this opportunity to partner with our Approved Providers. Now is the contracting period for LEAs to engage and collaborate with our esteemed providers, ensuring a seamless integration of expertise and resources into your educational framework.

By fostering these partnerships, we are not only laying the foundation for enriched teaching and learning experiences but also nurturing a culture of continuous improvement within our educational ecosystem.

We encourage you to explore the range of services offered by our Approved Providers and take proactive steps towards building robust instructional frameworks that cater to the unique needs of your students and educators.

See below the program updates, reminders, and resources for the Strong Foundations Planning Grant. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact our team.

The Strong Foundations planning Team

Milestones

On March 7th at 9:00am-10:00am, all awardees are required to attend this 1-hour meeting. Click this link to register.

For questions about contracting with an Approved Provider, you can register for our Contracting 101 meeting scheduled on the following dates:

• March 19, 2024, from 9:00am –10:00am - Click this link to register
• April 4, 2024, from 11:00am –12:00pm - Click this link to register

As a reminder:

Strong Foundations Planning provides grant funds to LEAs for technical assistance to develop instructional frameworks, conduct a diagnostic of the current state of instructional materials and instruction, and decide whether to adopt high-quality instructional materials (HQIM). LEAs are required to use:

• 50% of grant funds to contract with a single provider from the LASO Cycle II State Approved Provider List,
• 20% of grant funds for additional support from the approved provider and/or salaries or partial salaries for instructional coaches or other positions directly supporting grant activities, and
• 30% of grant funds for other allowable expenses (e.g., stipends for committee members, materials to support the collective learning series, travel to visit a HQIM Learning Lab).

Reminders & Next Steps

• Fill out the LEA Strong Foundations Planning Contact form
• Register to attend the LEA Communities of Practice! All LEAs in the Planning grant must attend 1 community of practice a month, as part of the grant assurance. There are 2 meeting options, based on LEA size, but LEAs are free to choose either option based on their individual needs.
  • Thursday, March 28^th at 11:00am SFP: LEA CoP Small (est. Enrollment 800 or less)
  • Friday, March 29^th, at 9:00am SFP: LEA CoP Medium/Large (est. Enrollment > 800)

Resources

• Strong Foundations Website
• Strong Foundations Planning Interactive Calendar
• View Previous Newsletter on the LASO Webpage here

Engagement Opportunities 

We are always looking for ways to connect with our partners in the field!

From site visits, to review opportunities, to focus groups, there are numerous ways to connect with TEA and support the field of education. If you are interested in participating in an engagement opportunity, sign up by clicking the button below. 

Sign Up Here

Mark Your Calendar!

You can find the following trainings on our Interactive calendar.