Ever since the government started providing free grants for college, millions of American students have been able to afford their education and pursue a degree or technical training, which in turn goes on to allow them to make more money.

On average, a person with a degree earns over $25,000 more than a person without a degree. That certain makes college or technical school worth looking in to, but as the cost to go to school continues to increase, more and more people are having second thoughts. As it stands, the average student graduates with over $50,000 in debt, which is a lot of handle right out of college.

But it’s not so much the graduates that are having trouble repaying their student loans. Imagine a scenario where you are not happy with your instructor or the class is just not for you. If you have to drop the class, you could end up being a part-time student by taking a lower class load. That means you might have to start paying back your loans immediately and you will no longer qualify for other student loans.

With the availability of free scholarships for college and the grant money that the government gives away to millions of students every year, people really don’t need to worry about coming up with the financing for school anymore. With these options, once you obtain the money you will never be asked to pay it back.

It doesn’t matter if you are a part-time student or full-time student. You could have good grades or bad grades, and there’s no credit check, no down payment, and no co-signer needed. If you are someone interested in earning a degree or further your education, you can apply to receive free grant money that you never have to repay.

If you are a minority, you are even in more luck. Billions of dollars in women grants and minority grants are available to Americans who are at least 18 years old, and all it takes is an application to ask for it. Once approved, you could receive a check in the mail for several thousand dollars, and you’ll never have to pay it back.

The application process is simple too. Just complete some forms and wait to hear back. The process is generally so fast that you could have the funding you need in less than 7 days. This free grant money is allowing anyone to not only afford college, but to graduate debt free.

Austin Warty
http://www.articlesbase.com/loans-articles/obtaining-grants-for-students-727230.html

The Philadelphia schools need to improve the effectiveness and diversity of their teacher workforce. Currently, 85 percent of their students are African American, Latino and Asian, but they have only 38 percent teachers of color.

After discussions initiated by Congressman Chaka Fattah with School Reform Commissioner Sandra Dungee Glenn, Philadelphia schools’ secretary of education, President and CEO Dr. Sharon Robinson of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), and the AACTE’s Vice President M. Christopher Brown II, a resolution to the Philadelphia schools’ diversity problem was conceived.

Fattah, Philadelphia schools officials, and other partners in a joint news conference officially launched the Dr. Ruth Wright Hayre Urban Teaching Institute in April 2006. The institute is supported by the AACTE and Temple University’s College of Education, and operated by the Philadelphia schools. Its purpose is to train student teachers as urban classroom specialists, who will then be recruited into full-time teaching positions with the Philadelphia schools.

The ground-breaking institute will recruit college students from 700 of the best teacher training colleges across the nation. They are looking for the best and the brightest future teachers, who already are committed to making a difference in urban education. Though they will begin with 20 to 30 teachers this fall, the goal is to prepare up to 100 student teacher “fellows” each year for urban teaching positions within the Philadelphia schools. At least 50 percent of these teachers will be of color.

In addition to the urban classroom training, the institute will provide:

• Improved pass rates among teachers of color on the Praxis exam through a test preparation initiative. The exam is required for teacher certification.
• A cultural proficiency program to assist teachers to connect their classroom instruction with the students’ diverse cultural experiences.
• Cultural proficiency standards have been proposed for use in evaluating Philadelphia schools educators.
• A teacher diversity advisory council will advise the Philadelphia schools on its teacher diversity initiatives, and will consist of community-based partners.

The Philadelphia schools and Fattah’s office will provide funding, with the Congressman pledging to secure grant money for the institute. Marketing efforts have been focused on teacher recruitment from universities with large African American and Latino enrollments in nearby states and Puerto Rico.

The institute is named for the outstanding Philadelphia schools educator, Dr. Ruth Wright Hayre (1910-1998). Hayre was the first African American to teach full time in the Philadelphia schools, the first African American senior high school principal in the Philadelphia schools, and the first African American and female president of the Philadelphia schools board of education. She won numerous awards locally and nationally, and co-wrote “Tell Them We Are Rising: A Memoir of Faith in Education” with Alexis Moore and Ed Bradley. Hayre exemplifies what the institute stands for — diversity and quality teachers. The institute fulfills Fattah’s belief that “you don’t have to sacrifice diversity to have quality” in the Philadelphia schools.

Patricia Hawke
http://www.articlesbase.com/tutoring-articles/philadelphia-schools-gains-new-institute-for-teacher-diversity-54718.html