August 2025

Nebraska Teacher of the Year Quarterly Report

Lindsey Wilson, 2025 Nebraska Teacher of the Year, from Bennington Middle School gave her quarterly update to the board. She spoke about the importance of collaboration in schools, with teachers, students and parents. Other highlights included NASA Space Camp in Alabama where Lindsey worked with other Teachers of the Year in an immersive learning experience. She also brought two students with her to talk about their experiences in school.

Nebraska Teacher of the Year 

Career Advancement Initiative Model Demonstration Project Grant

Nebraska VR was awarded a 5-year, Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) Rehabilitation Training: Disability Innovation Fund — Career Advancement Initiative Model Demonstration Project Grant for $8,469,796. This grant began on October 1, 2021 and ends September 30, 2026.

The Nebraska Career Pathways Advancement Project (CPAP 2.0) grant maintains a dual customer approach for Nebraska VR to serve both businesses and past Nebraska VR clients. The Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts-Boston partners with Nebraska VR on the project. The ICI will continue to serve as an independent evaluator of Nebraska VR’s CPAP 2.0 grant. ICI is responsible for designing and executing the evaluation plan, aligning evaluation data collection, analysis, and reporting and generating evaluation reports documenting Nebraska VR’s progress toward key objectives, challenges, and strategies to address challenges and impact on targeted outcomes.

CPAP 2.0 Renewal

Nebraska Teacher Apprenticeship Program Funding

With the passage of LB705 in 2023, the Nebraska Department of Education has been charged with creating and administering the Nebraska Teacher Apprenticeship Program, meant to “recruit and increase the number of teachers throughout the state by utilizing an apprenticeship model for training.” The legislature currently appropriates one million for this program annually.

The Department opened an application for educator preparation programs to apply for the use of available state and federal funds on May 15, 2025. Chadron State College’s application received the highest marks on the rubric and will be awarded $70,151. The remaining funds for apprenticeship programs be awarded to the University of Nebraska – Lincoln.

Nebraska Teacher Apprenticeship Program

Educator Effectiveness Specialist

The Educator Effectiveness Specialist assists with the implementation of the statewide educator
effectiveness system for teacher and principal support and development, known as SEED (Supporting Effective Educators through Development). This position engages in policy research, collects, and analyzes relevant educator data, collaborates with internal and external partners to align educator effectiveness work with other initiatives, and supports the implementation of the Nebraska Teacher and Principal Performance Standards (NTPPS).

Educator Effectiveness Specialist Rationale

Award Funding from the Comprehensive Literacy State Development

The purpose of the CLSD grant is to advance literacy skills, including pre-literacy skills, reading, and writing, for all children from birth through grade 12.
The Nebraska Department of Education was awarded approximately $55 million through a competitive, five-year CLSD Grant from the U.S. Department of Education in September 2024, which continues through September 30, 2029. The NDE is required to competitively subgrant no less than 95 percent of the award to eligible entities. The attached document provides the list of schools that will receive funding.
• 15% Allocated to Birth – Kindergarten Entry ($8,256,002.68)
• 40% Allocated to Kindergarten – Grade 5 ($22,016,007.16)
• 40% Allocated to Grade 6 – 12 ($22,016,007.16)

CLSD Grant Award List

Nebraska Improvement Grant Projects

Nebraska Statute established the Innovation Grant Program, with guidelines that have shifted over time. With changes to statute in 2023 and 2024, the Innovation Grant Program was renamed the Improvement Program Fund, shifting the focus away from new opportunities that may create an impact for some or all of Nebraska’s students and toward evidence-based programs that will have a measured impact in schools and on students across the state. The attached document lists the new projects that will be funded with the Nebraska Improvement Grant.

Nebraska Improvement Grants

Nebraska Literacy Leadership Network

The NDE reviewed continued needs and opportunities for literacy support in Nebraska schools.
After examining the Nebraska Literacy Project and its five tenets, NDE identified a potential gap –
school leader training and support.

The NDE pursued a grant opportunity through the Sherwood Foundation to fill this gap. The NDE successfully completed an application to create the Nebraska Literacy Leadership Network, which would leverage $25 million in private funds ($5 million per year over the next five years) to do the following:
• Convene a cohort of up to 75 instructional leaders and partnering with higher education
partners
• Train instructional leaders over the summer in coaching in the science of reading, and
• Support instructional leaders as they coach literacy best practices for their teachers as
students enter their classrooms.

The funding will cover costs of training and on-site, intensive coaching for principals and other
school leaders for the next five years. The NDE is engaged in a procurement process related to this
project and will seek approval from the State Board for related contracts at a future meeting.

Nebraska Literacy Project Information

Approval of New Nonpublic School System

Board members approved several candidates that submitted applications with the intent of becoming a Rule 14 nonpublic school for the 2025-2026 school year. A compliance visit will be completed to determine the likelihood of successfully meeting requirements within Rule 14.

Applicants for new Rule 14 status:
1. All Saints Catholic School Adding grades (Holdrege) (5-8 Elem)
2. Platte Valley Adventist (Grand Island) (K-8 Elem.)
3. Adult Education Center (Omaha) (10-12 H.S.)
4. Central Nebraska Lutheran (Heartland Lutheran/ Trinity Lutheran – Merger) (K-12)

Approval of Educator Preparation Programs for 2025-2026

Nebraska statute requires the State Board of Education to approve teacher education programs conducted in Nebraska postsecondary educational institutions designed for the purpose of certificating teachers and administrators.
Each Nebraska educator preparation institution is required to submit an annual request for approval of the programs which will be offered in the upcoming academic year.

List of Approved Educator Preparation Programs