Ed Dept Tweaks Centers: Better Teaching Grants Incoming
Published Date: 3/3/2026
Proposed Rule
Summary
The Department of Education wants to update the rules for the Comprehensive Centers Program to help schools and education agencies do even better at closing achievement gaps and improving teaching quality. These changes could start in fiscal year 2026 and beyond, affecting how grants are awarded and how support is given. If you have ideas or concerns, you’ve got until April 2, 2026, to speak up!
Analyzed Economic Effects
7 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 3 mixed.
National Center Concierge for Technical Help
The Department would establish a National Center that serves as a concierge-style entry point to intake, assess, and direct technical assistance requests from SEAs, REAs, TEAs, and LEAs so clients can more easily find and access Department technical assistance within and beyond the Comprehensive Centers network.
Center on Literacy for Students with Disabilities
The Department proposes a National Comprehensive Center on Improving Literacy for Students with Disabilities (ALN 84.283D) focused on children from early childhood through high school who are at risk of not attaining full literacy due to disability. The Center must, among other tasks, identify or develop free or low-cost evidence-based literacy screening tools, identify evidence-based instruction and accommodations (including assistive technology), provide families information, and provide professional development to support early screening beginning not later than kindergarten.
Grantees Subject to Restricted Indirect Cost Rate
The Department proposes that Comprehensive Center grantees and subgrantees be subject to a negotiated restricted indirect cost rate (per 34 CFR 75.563–75.569) so more grant funds go to direct technical assistance and capacity-building services.
Five Percent Annual Set‑Aside Requirement
Applicants must include in their budget a line item for an annual set-aside equal to five percent of the grant amount to support emerging needs consistent with the project's intended outcomes.
Priority to High‑Need Students and Schools
Centers must prioritize support for students and communities with the highest needs, including schools serving high percentages or numbers of students from low-income families, rural and urban schools receiving Title I assistance, and schools implementing comprehensive or targeted support and improvement under section 1111(d) of the ESEA.
Reduce State Agency Burden
The Department proposes redesigning the Comprehensive Centers program to reduce administrative burden on State educational agencies, local educational agencies, regional educational agencies, tribal educational agencies, and schools when they receive Department technical assistance.
Regional Centers: At Least 10, Flexible Setup
The Department intends to establish a minimum of 10 Regional Centers—at least one in each of the 10 Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) regions—for FY 2026 and later, with flexibility on how many Centers serve each region based on need, population, and other factors.
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Key Dates
Related Federal Register Documents
2026-17239, Education Department General Administrative Regulations
The Secretary of Education proposes to amend the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) and other provisions in 2 CFR parts 3474 and 3485 to update the regulations and better align them with other U.S. Department of Education (Department) regulations and procedures, and to include technical updates from the Office of Management and Budget's Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards published in the Federal Register on April 22, 2024. The Department intends to finalize these regulations in late 2026.
2026-17001, Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization: The Secretary's Recognition of Accrediting Agencies: Institutional Eligibility Under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as Amended, Student Assistance General Provisions
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The Department of Education is changing its rules to stop punishing unintentional discrimination under Title VI, focusing only on intentional discrimination instead. This update, effective July 24, 2026, will make things clearer, cut costs for schools and organizations getting federal money, and follow a new executive order about fairness and opportunity. If you receive federal funds, these changes affect how you follow civil rights rules.
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Starting July 1, 2027, colleges must prove their programs help students earn enough money to keep getting federal student loans. This new rule affects schools offering Direct Loans and aims to stop loans for programs where graduates don’t make enough. Some parts kick in earlier on August 31, 2026, so schools better get ready to show they’re helping students succeed in the workforce!
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