Editor's Note: A list of the grant recipients and award amounts is attached.

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today announced the award of $42 million for 16 grants that will reward educators who take on tough jobs and show results in high-need schools. The grants will be used to provide financial incentives to teachers and principals who improve student achievement in high-poverty schools and to recruit effective teachers to those schools, particularly for hard-to-staff subjects like math and science. The grants are projected to be funded for five years for a total of some $240.6 million.

"Nothing helps a child learn as much as a great teacher-and research shows that rewarding teachers for results can improve student performance. Great teachers who work in schools where they are badly needed deserve more than our thanks. I am pleased to announce these Teacher Incentive Fund grants, which will encourage and reward more experienced teachers for working at high-poverty schools where they can make a real difference in raising student achievement," Spellings said.

Funded for the first time in 2006, the Teacher Incentive Fund program is President Bush's initiative to develop and implement performance-based teacher and principal compensation systems in high-need, disadvantaged schools, where at least 30 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The goals of the program are to improve student achievement by increasing the effectiveness of principals and teachers, and, at the same time, increase the number of effective teachers for minority and disadvantaged students. Another $43.1 million is expected to be awarded in spring 2007. For more information about the Teacher Incentive Fund visit http://www.ed.gov/programs/teacherincentive/faq.html.

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