BEGIN FAQs

Call technical support at 800-234-1490.  You will need to have the Service Tag number handy when you call for support.  The Service Tag number is on the back of the laptop and it says:  Service Tag Number.

All BEGIN Scholars are supposed to work in a high-needs SCHOOL in a high-needs DISTRICT for one year for every year they participate in the BEGIN Program.

A HIGH-NEEDS SCHOOL is defined as having ONE or more of the following:

#1     40% or more of the enrolled students are eligible for free or reduced lunch subsidies, or the school is otherwise eligible, without receipt of a waiver, to operate a school-wide program under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act;

#2     More than 34% of academic classroom teachers overall (at the secondary level) do not have a major, minor, or significant course work in their main assignment field, OR more than 34% 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     A teacher attrition rate of 15% or more over the last three school years.

The grant defines a HIGH-NEEDS DISTRICT as any district that has one or more high-needs SCHOOL(s). (So, by definition, if you are working in a high-needs school, you are also working in a high-needs district.)

Of course, before you accept a job post-graduation, it is important to check with your individual school first to ensure that they are indeed a high-needs school according to the above definition.

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.