 The initiative is being piloted in partnership with state departments of education in Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Mississippi under a three-year, $10.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education through its highly competitive Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) grant program.NISL is building the advanced credentialing system based on two major research findings.First, numerous studies have pointed to the importance of a strong principal in accelerating student learning, particularly in low-performing schools.