For press information, contact Curt Guenther, 901/678-2843

A new federal grant is available for the first time this year to students who intend to teach full-time for at least four years in high-need subject areas in schools that serve students from low-income families.

The TEACH (Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education) Grant will provide each recipient up to $4000 per year.

At the University of Memphis, students in either of two programs in the College of Education – the Master of Arts in Teaching or the Master of Science in Education with a concentration in reading – are eligible for the grant.

High-need areas for the purposes of the TEACH Grant include science, mathematics, foreign language, special education, reading specialist, and bilingual education and English language acquisition. Other high-need areas may be identified later by the U.S. Department of Education.

Students who receive the grant must agree to teach full-time for a total of at least four academic years, within eight calendar years of completing the grant-financed degree. If a grant recipient does not meet this requirement, the grant will be converted to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, which must be repaid, with interest applied from the time the grant was originally awarded, to the U.S. Department of Education.

Details about eligibility for the TEACH Grant are available from the U of M Office of Student Financial Aid by phone at 901-678-4825.

The College of Education boasts a distinguished faculty of 120 full-time scholars in four departments and 16 research centers, including one of the University’s 25 Centers of Excellence – the Center for Research in Educational Policy – in addition to the staff of the College’s laboratory schools – the Campus School, serving grades one through six, and the Barbara K. Lipman Early Childhood School and Research Institute.

It is the oldest college at the University of Memphis and is one of Tennessee’s largest producers of certified teachers as well as professionals for careers in nutrition and dietetics, health and sports sciences, counseling, educational psychology, P-16 leadership, and educational research.