Teaching is one of the most important job positions out there. The government is always offering federal school grants as an incentive to educate young minds and make the public education system what it used to be. The U.S. Department of Education is particularly interested in placing teachers in high need areas. It has recently distributed almost ten million dollars to twenty different grant programs as part of the Transition to Teaching Program. These twenty grants have been awarded to not for profit, as well as for profit educational institutions. The money is designed to persuade student teachers (future teachers who are halfway through their degree program), along with students in other degree programs, to become teachers in high-need rural and urban areas. In return for school grants for their education, students agree to teach in a high-need area for a certain period of time. It is also good to check with one’s state for school grants since nearly every state has set aside money for this fund.
The American Federation of Teachers is another good source for teacher grant and scholarship money. Its Federal Loan Forgiveness Programs provides students with the means to have their federal school grants cancelled. This often includes agreeing to teach in a high-need area for a specific period of time. The American Federation of Teachers also maintains a sizable database of student teacher grants and scholarships.
Private options are also available. The Fellowships for Aspiring Teachers of Color is a school grant awarded by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund to minority student teachers who wish to pursue a Masters degree I the field. To qualify, one must be enrolled in a teaching program of high-quality as well as agree to teach within the public school system upon completion of the degree. The National Education Association provides grants to teachers who wish to pursue advanced training for professional growth. The Annenberg Foundation is also a good place to look as they are focused on funding all sorts of community and civic activities, which include teacher training. One can also look to universities with large and/or renowned teaching programs for help, since they often provide school grants to their students. On the unlikely chance that they don’t, they will at least be able to tell you which organizations you should be contacting.
Note from guest author:
Are you an advocate for continuing to learn well after you’re officially done with school? Me too! In fact I’m on a mission to write as many “how-to” articles as possible to learn as much as possible. In fact, the most recent project is a website dedicated to learning how to become a lawyer.