Grant offers students $4,000 to teach in high-need schools

Teacher education students who plan to work in high-need schools after graduation could receive up to $4,000 a year for participating in the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant Program, or TEACH.

The program, part of a federal student aid bill passed last fall, is scheduled to begin in the 2008-09 academic year and will provide teacher education students pursuing math, science and other high-demand fields with up to $4,000 in grants each year.

Students must commit to teaching in a high-need school for at least four years upon graduation, as well as maintain above a 3.25 grade-point average.

Anne Hickey, associate director of government relations for the American Council on Education, said there is generally wide support for the program.

“It’s a very good thing to encourage more people to go into teaching in high-need areas, and also taking positions in high-need schools,” she said. “For the right student, it really can be a win-win situation.”

But the program also causes some concerns, she said. If students who have committed to the program no longer meet the requirements, or their circumstances change, the grant will convert into an unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan.

Unsubsidized Stafford loans begin accruing interest as soon as they are taken out.

Students in the program who stop meeting the GPA requirements or change their major could be affected, as well as students who graduate and either can’t find a position in a high-need school or decide not to meet the service requirement, Hickey said.

The important thing is for students to be aware of what they’re getting into before they commit to the program, Hickey said.

“It’s hard to know early on what you plan to be doing with your career that many years out,” she said.

The bill passed as part of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act in September. The U.S. Department of Education, along with a panel of representatives from higher education institutions, is working on hammering out the details. The panel is scheduled to complete its work by Feb. 8.

Suzanne Wilson, a professor of education and chairwoman of the Department of Education, said programs like TEACH are a part of a current trend in policy.

“While it is important to explore the full range of policies that might help motivate future teachers to work in hard-to-staff schools, it is equally important to conduct research on whether those investments lead to the intended outcomes — higher-quality learning opportunities for needy students,” Wilson said.

Tracy Szutkowski, a French and elementary education senior, said programs placing teachers into high-need areas are beneficial, but they tend to be biased in who can be served by them.

Restrictions such as financial need and subject matter may hold back teachers with academic merit who also would benefit from the programs, she said.

“It’s frustrating because there are great resources out there, but they’re only available to a handful of people,” she said.

After participating in a summer fellowship in Detroit Public Schools two years ago, Szutkowski said she’s looking to head back for her student teaching internship.

“The area is in dire need of high-quality teachers,” she said. “I’d like to give it a shot to see if I could handle it.”