Teacher College Grant

With the amount of teachers gradually dwindling in the United States, there is new emphasis and energy directed at the teaching industry. The United States public education system has received some setbacks over the last decade and teacher's authorities have been undermined. The need for teachers has increased and although they are some of the most well educated employees in the United States, they are among the lowest paid. To encourage students to enter into teaching careers, numerous government and private sources have made grant money available to help teacher college students achieve their dreams of becoming teachers. An excellent site to explore government grants is Grants.gov.

Recently the United States Department of Education paid out substantial amounts of grant money totaling almost ten million dollars. The twenty grants were part of the Transition to Teaching program and awarded to various educational institutions to use as student teacher incentives. One of the most common ways for student teachers to receive grant money is by agreeing to accept teaching positions in high need, disadvantaged, rural, or low-income areas in exchange for grants. In these areas, teachers are scarce and there is a desperate need by students there for educational assistance along with moral support. All accredited teacher education colleges and universities must offer Transition to Teaching. If a student teacher accepts the grant, they must sign a binding contract to work within the high need or low income areas for an agreed upon, specific time.

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund Fellowships for Aspiring Teachers of Color is a private funds grant to assist minority undergraduates in paying for a master's degree. They award twenty-five grants to students of color each year that are entering the teaching profession. After accepting the grant and while obtaining their master's degree, student teachers must teach in the public school system. Teachers can achieve state-specific grants if agreeing to teach in low income and other areas in state.

Each year one hundred and thirty seven undergraduate or graduate college students receive the Sharon Christa McAuliffe Teacher Education-Critical Shortage Grant Program. Students must be in an enrolled part time or full time in at a four-year college or university. Student teachers must be a resident and studying in Maryland and have a 3.0 GPA or higher. The amount of the grants awarded is from two hundred dollars to approximately fifteen thousand dollars.

The TEACH Grant Program or the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education grant program awards teacher college students grants of approximately four thousand dollars annually. These grants go to students planning to teach in private or public, secondary or elementary schools that help low-income families. Students must complete a FAFSA or Free Application for Federal Student Aid form and be a United States citizen or eligible non-citizen.

Resource:

• Grants.gov
• Transition to Teaching
• The Rockefeller Brothers Fund Fellowships for Aspiring Teachers of Color
• The TEACH Grant Program