BEGIN FAQs

A high-need local educational agency (LEA) is a public school district that meets one or more of the following three criteria:

1. It has at least one school in which 40 percent or more of the enrolled students are eligible for free or reduced lunch subsidies, or that otherwise is eligible, without receipt of a waiver, to operate as a school-wide program under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act;
2. It has at least one school in which:
• More than 34 percent of academic classroom teachers overall at the secondary level (across all academic subjects) do not have a major, minor, or significant course work in their main assignment field, or
• More than 34 percent of the main assignment faculty in two of the academic departments do not have a major, minor, or significant work in their main assigned field.
3. It has at least one elementary or secondary school whose teacher attrition rate has been 15 percent or more over the last three school years.

At the beginning of the school year you MUST file a Verification of Teaching Obligation form Parts I and II. If teaching in the fall, Parts I and II must be submitted by October 1. If you begin teaching mid-year or for summer session, the form must be submitted within 7 days of starting.

Within 7 days of the end of the school year, you MUST resubmit the signed verification form with completed part III. Original signatures are required.

If you can't find a high-need teaching position within SIX months of graduation a deferment must be requested in order to avoid repayment status.

Six months

If you teach part time, including long-term substituting, or during summer school, your service is pro-rated and it will take longer to meet your service obligation.

You can teach in an elementary, middle, or secondary public school (K-12) including charter schools. You may not teach in a preschool. Remember, the school has to be a high-need school.

It is expected that I will do the following:

• Commit to teach on a high-need campus after graduation
• Attend the BEGIN mentor-mentee dinner at the beginning of semester that the scholarship is awarded;
• Attend the BEGIN forum each February until I graduate.
• Work closely with my mentor as assigned;
• Attend a summer institute at which time I will learn more about teaching in my field.

Scholarship winners must

• Be a full-time student
• Be studying to become initially certified to teach
• Be studying to become certified to teach math, science, or foreign language
• Be studying to become certified to teach in 4-8 or secondary level
• Be a US citizen or hold a green card
• Commit to teach on a high-need campus after graduation

The scholarships for this semester have been awarded and the recipients have been notified.