CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Applications are being accepted now for the 2020 Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars Program.
It’s open to high school seniors or recent high school graduates who commit to teaching certain subjects in public schools in West Virginia for at least five years.
A nationwide search is underway for the initial cohort of 25 students who will enter college in Fall 2020.
“We heard from our teachers in the state. We heard from our state superintendent. We heard from the Legislature,” said Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker, interim chancellor for the Higher Education Policy Commission and chancellor of the West Virginia Community and Technical College System.
“We know that we have teacher vacancies and we wanted to see how higher ed could play a role in helping to solve that problem.”
Tucker said they’re after the “best and brightest” with what’s being billed as a call to service.
Targeted through this program that’s a joint effort with the state Department of Education are subject areas where there is a critical need for teachers in West Virginia: math, science, special education and elementary education.
Those who qualify will receive up to $10,000 per year for as long as four years to pay for eligible college expenses, including tuition and fees, room and board and textbooks.
It’s grant funding that is “stackable,” meaning it can be combined with other grant or scholarship awards like West Virginia’s PROMISE Scholarship.
Revisions to the Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars Program, formerly known as the Underwood-Smith Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program, were included in the omnibus education bill that became law earlier this year.
The changes put the focus for recipients on the critical need areas.
A phasing out of the previous program was planned.
“We know we need outstanding teachers and we believe that the changes in this scholarship program will get us the best teachers that we possibly can in the most needed fields in the State of West Virginia,” said Tucker.
West Virginia residency is not a requirement for the Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars Program.
The minimum requirements are as follows:
– High school senior or recent high school graduate with plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in an approved teacher preparation program in math, science, elementary education or special education at an eligible West Virginia institution;
– Has never been enrolled as a degree-seeking student at college or university;
– Achieved a cumulative high school grade point average of at least 3.25 on 4.0 scale or an equivalent grade point average based on an individual school district’s grading policy;
– Earned minimum ACT scores of 22 in math and 18 in English or minimum SAT scores of 520 in math and 480 in English;
– Must be a United States citizen or hold a valid Employment Authorization Document (EAD), or work permit, issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office;
– Willing to teach in a West Virginia public school for five years after college graduation in the fields of math, science, elementary education or special education.
Those who do not do that will have to pay back the scholarship money.
Selected students will be paired with a current, practicing teaching mentor during their college years and into the beginnings of their full-time teaching careers after graduation.
“We think that’s important because we want to make sure that these students feel confident in their course work. We want to make sure that they feel like there’s someone advising them along the way,” said Tucker.
“We want to make sure that they continue on with their education and so who better to learn from than a mentor who’s in your field?”
Each year, a cohort of 25 will begin college classes.
When fully in effect, 100 students will be involved every year at an estimated cost of $1.6 million.
Applications from an initial round of prospective students were being evaluated on a rolling basis. Priority was to be given to applications received before Dec. 31, 2019.