News

Matching Scholarship Dollars Available from Corporation for National and Community Service
Service organizations such as Kiwanis and Rotary International; PTAs; and local businesses often provide student scholarships. Now those funds can be augmented by Presidential Freedom Scholarship funds from the Corporation for National and Community Service. Two students from each high school are eligible for $500 in federal matching scholarship funds from the corporation; juniors and seniors who have performed 100 or more hours of community service in the past year are eligible. Students must be nominated by their high schools or by a Boys and Girls Club. The deadline is July 1, 2005. For more information, visit the Corporation for National and Community Service Web site.

Taxpayer-Teacher Protection Act Increases Federal Stafford Loan Forgiveness for Elementary- and Secondary-School Teachers
On October 30, 2004, President Bush signed the Taxpayer-Teacher Protection Act of 2004, which authorizes up to $17,500 in loan forgiveness for new Federal Stafford Loan borrowers who meet certain criteria. This increased amount of loan forgiveness is available to individuals who had no outstanding balance prior to October 1, 1998, and who had borrowed eligible loans prior to October 1, 2005. These individuals must have been employed full-time for five consecutive years as a highly qualified secondary-school teacher of science or math or as a highly qualified elementary- or secondary-school special education teacher. More information on this program and eligibility requirements can be found on the U.S. Department of Education Web site.

Higher Education Centers in Appalachia Raising College-Going Rates
Raising the overall level of educational attainment in the Appalachian region is key to economic development. To increase the number of students who continue their education beyond high school, ARC has been replicating the Ohio Appalachian Center for Higher Education (OACHE) since 1998. There are now eight centers in the Appalachian Higher Education (AHE) Network.

On average, these centers have increased the "college-going rates" from 13 to over 37 percentage points-phenomenal gains. The original site in Ohio and the first replication site in West Virginia have shown these gains are sustained over time. On May 13, 2004, Federal Co-chair Anne Pope released the report, "Development and Progress of the Appalachian Higher Education Network," documenting the tremendous success the centers have had to date.

Peace Corps Fellows/USA Program Helps Underserved Communities in the United States
Through the Peace Corps Fellows/USA program, returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) use the skills and experiences gained overseas to work with underserved communities in the United States while they pursue graduate studies at reduced cost. Fellows/USA is a collaboration of university programs, public school systems, communities, community agencies, and the Peace Corps. Our current partners highly value the unique perspective and special skills that RPCVs bring to the classroom and the community.

Through affiliation with the program, the university gains continuing access to returned volunteers and ongoing recruitment of potential, current, and returned volunteers through the Peace Corps web site, the Peace Corps regional offices in the United States, and the more than 70 in-country offices around the world. In addition, there is an annual two-day meeting for the on-campus coordinators of the individual Fellows/USA programs at universities around the country, as well as professional conferences and meetings of the program partners.

Each Fellows/USA program usually begins with a university faculty or staff member who is aware of a need in an underserved community near the university and is willing to commit to establishing and running a program on his/her campus. This individual writes a proposal for the establishment of a program and submits it to the Peace Corps. This proposal details information on a number of elements, including the community problem the program would address, the university and community resources (human, financial, organizational, etc.) available to support the program, the academic program(s) to be offered, budget, and how the program would be funded.

The university is responsible for all administrative costs of the program, and for providing specific financial benefits to the Fellows, e.g. in-state tuition rates or other tuition waivers, relocation allowances, assistantships, fellowships, etc. Examples of possible funding sources are donations from foundations or businesses, contributions from the community partners that provide the Fellows' internships, Work Study funds, or grants such as those of AmeriCorps. Usually, strong, viable Fellows/USA programs each have a "champion" in their program coordinator, i.e. someone willing to commit the necessary time and energy required to establish and sustain a program. Get more information about the Peace Corps Fellows/USA program.

This content was provided by:
Cary Ballou, Ph.D.
Associate Director, Fellows/USA
U.S. Peace Corps
1111 20th St., NW
Washington, DC 20526
Phone: (202) 692-1432
Fax: (202) 692-1421
cballou@peacecorps.gov

Report on Preschool Programs
Stateline released a report by the National Institute for Early Education Research showing that Georgia, New Jersey, and Oklahoma lead the nation in providing high-quality preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds. The study ranked the number of children in state-funded preschools, the amount spent per child, and a checklist of 10 benchmarks (e.g., the minimum level of teacher training, maximum class size, whether the program provides family support services and health screening, whether it has a statewide curriculum). Forty states provide some preschool program, enrolling 14.8 percent of the nation's 4-year-olds and 3 percent of 3-year-olds, according to the study. Read the full report on preschool programs.

Events

U.S. Department of Education Events and Calendars
The Department of Education offers a list of its own education events, and links to the event calendars of individual offices within the department, including the National Institute for Literacy. The Web site also includes links to satellite meetings and events related to education.

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