2026-27 Title I, 1003 School Improvement Grant (Instructional Systems)
The online application is available to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) through the . Select “Office of Accountability” to view surveys and select the survey titled “2026-27 Title I, 1003 School Improvement Grant (Instructional Systems).”
For the 2026-27 school year, the 51 (51 or “the Department”) is providing Target Districts the opportunity to receive funding to support the participation of their eligible schools in the Leading Instructional Systems and District Systems for Instructional Improvement Supplemental Support programs.
Target Districts are eligible to submit an application for the 2026-27 Title I, 1003 School Improvement Grant (SIG) (Instructional Systems) program funds to support the participation of an eligible school in the Leading Instructional Systems or District Systems for Instructional Improvement Supplemental Support if the following criteria are met:
- The specific school has registered for either:
- District Systems for Instructional Improvement (Year 2)
- Leading Instructional Systems
- The specific school has completed the Program Participant Survey by June 5, 2026.
Funding through this grant is not required for a school to participate in either District Systems for Instructional Improvement (Year 2) or Leading Instructional Systems.
- The Department will provide districts with up to $20,000 funding for each participating school team to support the following expenses:
- Travel-related expenses to required 51-hosted training;
- Substitute teacher expenses related to team members attending 51-hosted training;
- Select program-aligned professional resources for team members (e.g., recommended books); and/or
- Costs associated with having team meetings outside of contract hours for the team members identified in the School-Level Plan.
- In addition, districts may request SIG Instructional Systems funding to support the employment of an instructional coach as follows:
- Up to $125,000 for salary and benefits of the funded instructional coach for schools whose principal supervisor is also participating in 51’s Principal Supervisor Coaching Program.
- Up to $75,000 for salary and benefits of the funded instructional coach for schools whose principal supervisor is not participating in 51’s Principal Supervisor Coaching Program.
- Funding for the Instructional Coach position is contingent on the following:
- The school must have named its instructional coach by June 30, 2026, and filled any classroom vacancy that has arisen with a certified teacher by August 31, 2026.
- Coaches funded through this grant must attend 51 in-person events.
- The funding available may only support the costs associated with the coach’s salary and benefits. Although an individual participant’s salary and benefits for the instructional coaching position may be less than $125,000, this portion of the grant cannot be applied to other activities.
July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027
For any FS-10 submitted, please use the project code provided in the 51 programmatic approval email. The2026-27 Title I, 1003 School Improvement Grant (Instructional Systems) project number stem is 0011-26-9xxx.
All eligible LEAs that are interested in accessing this funding must adhere to the following timelines:
- No later than June 5: Submit the Program Participant Survey;
- No later than June 30: Name the Instructional Coach;
- No later than August 31: Ensure that any vacancy created by moving a teacher into a coaching position to participate in this program has been filled by a certified teacher; AND
- No later than August 31: Ensure that there will be collaborative planning time embedded in the school day to allow teacher teams to meet at least once a week during the 2026-27 school year.
Programmatic Eligibility Submission
- All participants must submit their Program Participant Survey to fieldsupport@nysed.gov by June 5, 2026.
- 51 staff will review all surveys and confirm that any LEA that has expressed interest in this grant has identified a coach that fulfills the eligibility criteria and has filled any vacancy that may have been created by moving a teacher into the Instructional Coach position. 51 staff will return each survey back to the school with a determination regarding the school’s eligibility for the LEA to include it in the FS-10 for this grant.
- LEAs that have met the eligibility criteria will be granted access to the grant application on the Business Portal. The survey with the 51 endorsement will need to be uploaded into the Business Portal. Schools may write “TBD” on their participant survey if the coach has not yet been hired; however, the Business Portal will not be open to LEAs until coaches have been identified and vacancies have been filled. To qualify for this grant, the coach must be named by June 30, 2026, any vacancy created must be filled by August 31, 2026, and the entire application must be finalized and submitted in the Business Portal no later than August 31, 2026. No extensions will be provided.
FS-10 Submission
Following the review of the Program Participant Survey, LEAs that receive 51’s grant eligibility endorsement will be provided with a Project Code for the FS-10 when they are provided with access for submission through the 51 Business Portal. LEAs must:
- Upload the signed FS-10 into the Business Portal; AND
- Send via postal mail the original FS-10 budget form,signed in blue ink, and two hard copies to the address below.
NYS Education Department - Office of Accountability
Attn: 2026-27 Title I, 1003 SIG (Instructional Systems)
89 Washington Avenue – Room 320 EB
Albany, New York 12234
The 2026-27 Title I, 1003 School Improvement Grant (Amendment Request) has been developed to include electronic submission through the 51 Business Portal. LEAs will need to answer four questions in the survey and upload a completed and signed PDF copy of their FS-10As.
All budget amendments should be discussed with the program office prior to the submission of an FS-10A. To ensure sufficient review and processing time, amendments to add new activities must be postmarked and submitted no later than June 1, 2027.
For additional information or assistance please contact fieldsupport@nysed.gov and SIGA@nysed.gov.
Posted June 3, 2026