BE07: Funding Opportunities for Physics Teacher Certification Candidates AAPT Chicago Meeting Feb 2009 Daniel L. MacIsaac, SUNY Buffalo State College Physics, Joseph L. Zawicki, SUNY Buffalo State College, Earth Sciences & Science Education David S. Abbott, SUNY Buffalo State College, Physics Kathleen A. Falconer, SUNY Buffalo State College, Elementary Education and Reading

We will contrast a number of large-scale (state and national) initiatives financially supporting (tuition, fees and real costs) physics teacher certification candidates. We will discuss programs in which our students have participated. Caveats: We are not trained Financial Aid professionals and this presentation is for faculty information purposes only. Supplementary local institutional policies apply to most of these programs described. Applicants seeking financial aid should consult trained professionals at their institutions. We are describing binding legal agreements; real lawyers do this stuff. We are not lawyers. Caveat emptor. This talk URL:

Our goal: Rudely characterizing large scale federal and state financial support programs serving physics teacher candidates commonly available to US and NY candidates. Some physics faculty interpretations (we ’ re not lawyers) of vocabulary and concepts:  Stafford & Perkins are standard US federal college needs-based student loan programs  FAFSA means “ Free Application For Federal Student Aid ” and is available online; determines student need; frequently required even by programs that are not “ needs-based ” ; requires tax info from students (and parents if dependents)  “ Needs-based ” are programs addressing student needs as determined by FAFSA  “ Grant ” usually means funds not requiring repayment (loans require repayment)

 A “ Forgivable Loan ” is a loan which could become a grant if particular conditions are satisfied (often including a service obligation).  “ Teacher Shortage Area ” is determined by US Dept of Ed and added to by State Depts of Education. Off-the-cuff this means Math, Special Education, Physics and Chemistry everywhere in the US.  A "High Needs" School is a school designated by the US DofEd as being a school where certain teaching service may be eligible for various service obligations and loan forgiveness. The Teacher Cancellation Low Income – Search Directory ” online database covers the geographical US and possessions by county and is updated yearly. Any given school might appear in the database one year and not the next. A RUDE RULE OF THUMB is that many large urban and small rural schools are likely high needs schools; few suburban schools are high needs.  LEA is shorthand for “ Local Education Authority ” (school or school district)  NCLB is “ No Child Left Behind ” the US public law authorizing programs for improving schools. Title II: Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High Quality Teachers and Principals (Title II) is the name of a portion of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) reauthorized by NCLB. Title II funds can be obtained by LEAs to reimburse expenses (tuition, room and board etc) incurred by teachers seeking to become highly qualified – (i.e. physics certified). The best online materials we know of describing this process for physics teachers are available from the ASU Modeling Physics folk at  “ Highly Qualified Teacher ” defined by NCLB. Rule of thumb: the teacher is fully state certified to teach in the subject area taught.

References and Resources Buffalo State College Department of Physics, (2009). Funding For Students. accessed February, Buffalo State College Financial Aid Office, (2009). Financial Aid Office. accessed February, US Dept of Education (2009). Free Application For Federal Student Aid. accessed February US Dept of Education (2009). Federal Perkins Loan Program. accessed February US Dept of Education (2009). Student Aid on the Web (Stafford Loan Program). sp, accessed February sp

US Dept of Education (2004). Dear Colleague Letter (Stafford loan forgiveness for certain teachers). accessed February US Dept of Education (2009). Federal Perkins Loan Teacher Cancellation. accessed February US Dept of Education (2009). Teacher Cancellation Low Income – Search Directory. accessed February US Dept of Education (2009). The National Science & Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (National SMART Grant). accessed February US Dept of Education (2009). Teach Grant Program. accessed February NYS Higher Education Services Corporation (2009). NYS Math and Science Teaching Incentive Scholarships. accessed February

Buffalo State Physics (2009). Robert Noyce scholarship program. accessed February National Science Foundation (2009). Robert Noyce teacher scholarship program. accessed February Arizona State University Physics (2009). Modeling Instruction Workshops for Summer accessed February