Bayh College of Education

Pre, Too!

Preparing and Recruiting Teachers
to Work in High Need Schools & Districts:
Teacher Quality Enhancement Scholarship Program

Scholarship Program Overview

Pre-Too! Is a scholarship program designed for students who commit to work in a high need school or district* after graduation. Scholarships of up to $6,000 per year ($3,000 per semester and renewed each semester if student remains in good standing) for a maximum of two years are available. One year of full time work in a high need school or district is expected for every year that a full scholarship is given. Students with from 1 to 4 remaining semesters prior to graduation and who have earned a minimum of 48 credit hours by the time of application are eligible to apply. The scholarships are open to students from any disciplinary area and who are training for positions in any level school, although the fields of special education, science, math, and English-As-A-Second Language are especially encouraged to apply as are students from diverse backgrounds. We also encourage admitted transfer students to apply as well as students enrolled in the Transition to Teaching (T2T) program.

A total of 39 Pre-Too! Scholarships will be awarded.  Funding is provided from the U.S. Department of Education and distributed locally.

Requirements of Scholarship Recipients

All scholarship recipients will be required to teach in a high need school or district for one year for each year of support received or must pay back the scholarship. All scholarship recipients must be admitted ISU students in “good standing” and have a GPA of at least 3.0. Additional detail on the terms of the scholarship can be found in the US-DOE application/contract accessible via the link below.

Application Requirements

To be considered for this scholarship, applicants much submit the following:

  • A completed US-DOE Application/Contract
  • A completed ISU Application
  • A 2-page statement describing your commitment/interest in teaching in a high needs school (does not have to be in Indiana)
  • 2 letters of recommendation from persons that know you well, ideally from a faculty member/course instructor and/or persons familiar with your interests in being a teacher
  • Transcripts (unofficial acceptable) from all non-ISU colleges or universities attended (we can access your ISU transcripts)

Deadline for Application

Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis. However, applications received by March 2 will receive first attention. Applications should be submitted to the Education Student Services Office on the 2nd Floor of the Bayh College of Education (ED 210). They may also be mailed to:

Pre-Too! Scholarship Program
Education Student Services Office
Room 210 Bayh College of Education
Indiana State University
Terre Haute, IN  47809

Contact Information

For information and/or questions, please contact the Education Student Services Department in the Bayh College of Education (237-3131; soeess@isugw.indstate.edu

 

* Definition of a High Needs School or District

A “high-need school district” for the purposes of this scholarship meets one of the following definitions:

1.    A school district with at least one school in which 40 percent or more of the enrolled students are eligible for free and reduced lunch subsidies, or that otherwise is eligible, without receipt of a waiver, to operate as a school-wide program under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. 

2.    A school district that has at least one school where more than 34 percent of academic classroom teachers overall (across all academic subjects) do not have a major, minor, or significant course work in their main assignment field; or more than 34 percent of the main assignment faculty in two of the core-subject departments do not have a major, minor, or significant course work in their main assignment field. Main assignment field means the academic field in which teachers have the largest percentage of their classes. Significant course work means four or more college or graduate-level courses in the content area.

 3.      A school district that serves a school whose attrition rate among classroom teachers was 15% or more in the last three school years.

For purposes of this scholarship, a “high-need school” is an elementary or secondary school that meets one of the three tests that enables a school district to be considered a “high-need school district.”

* Definition of a High Needs School or District

A “high-need school district” for the purposes of this scholarship meets one of the following definitions: 

1.    A school district with at least one school in which 40 percent or more of the enrolled students are eligible for free and reduced lunch subsidies, or that otherwise is eligible, without receipt of a waiver, to operate as a school-wide program under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. 

2.    A school district that has at least one school where more than 34 percent of academic classroom teachers overall (across all academic subjects) do not have a major, minor, or significant course work in their main assignment field; or more than 34 percent of the main assignment faculty in two of the core-subject departments do not have a major, minor, or significant course work in their main assignment field. Main assignment field means the academic field in which teachers have the largest percentage of their classes. Significant course work means four or more college or graduate-level courses in the content area.

 3.   A school district that serves a school whose attrition rate among classroom teachers was 15% or more in the last three school years.

For purposes of this scholarship, a “high-need school” is an elementary or secondary school that meets one of the three tests that enables a school district to be considered a “high-need school district.”