Leave No Educator Behind: A Transition to Teaching Initiative
Application Deadline is April 15 - please see Cheresa Clemons for details
A service scholarship for high-quality, mid-career professionals and recent college graduates transitioning into the teaching profession - candidates who demonstrate a commitment to teaching and making a difference.
Program Overview
Leave No Educator Behind is a five-year grant program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education that aims to recruit and retain highly qualified mid-career professionals and recent college graduates as lateral entry teachers in high-need schools within Vance County, Warren County, and Weldon City school districts. Currently, Leave No Educator Behind is a collaborative initiative that includes North Carolina Central University’s School of Education, North Carolina Central University’s University College, Vance County Schools, Warren County Schools, and Weldon City Schools.
Each year over the next five years, Leave No Educator Behind will recruit a cohort of 25 lateral entry candidates seeking teacher certification and licensure into the NCCU Teacher Education Program. The program will provide financial, academic, and professional development support to selected candidates as they transition into the teaching profession.
Program Expectations
It is expected that students receiving a Leave No Educator Behind (LNEB) service scholarship will matriculate through the NCCU Teacher Education Program in cohort groups. Candidates selected to receive a LNEB service scholarship will have demonstrated an intense interest in the teaching profession and will have made a contractual commitment to teach for a minimum of three years in a high-need school in either Vance County, Warren County, or Weldon City school districts. All LNEB program instruction and services will be provided via NCCU's Distance Education Curriculum, delivered on-line, face-to-face, through the School of Education's teleconference center, or through a blended approach. LNEB service scholarships are limited to distance education curriculum only and will not cover on-campus tuition.
Application Procedures
All applicants must satisfy the admission requirements for the NCCU School of Education Teacher Education program and indicate an understanding and acceptance of the Leave No Educator Behind service obligation. Furthermore, they must complete and submit a Leave No Educator Behind application packet, including sealed, official college transcripts and a common form that requests general demographic information. Additionally, the Leave No Educator Behind Scholarship Selection Committee may request the opportunity to interview applicants.
- Download Application (Adobe PDF 5.8 MB)
Scholarship Provisions
Candidates selected to participate as Leave No Educator Behind Scholars will receive the following:
- Tuition for Distance Education Curriculum
- Stipend for books and supplies
- Stipend for the purchase of a laptop computer
- Sustained, high-quality, in-service professional development in the form of advising, mentoring and induction support.
- Financial assistance to participate in approved activities that promote pre-service academic and professional development.
The following forms must also be completed:
- Potential Hiring form (Adobe PDF 92 KB)
- Potential Hire letter (Adobe PDF 15 KB)
- Retention Policy (Adobe PDF 56 KB)
- Cohort Meeting Schedule (Adobe PDF 50 KB)
- Teaching Verification form (Adobe PDF 15 KB)
The amount of support per category will be tailored to meet the educational needs of each Leave No Educator Behind Scholar.
Service Obligation
Candidates selected to participate in the Leave No Educator Behind program will receive financial assistance in the form of a service scholarship. The scholarship requires a three-year service commitment to teaching in a high-need school within Vance County, Warren County, or Weldon City school districts upon completion of licensure. Should a candidate fail to meet the service obligation requirement, the scholarship is converted to a federal loan that must be repaid to the U.S. Department of Education within the time period allowed. Upon acceptance into the Leave No Educator Behind program, candidates will be required to accept the scholarship regulations set by NCCU and the U.S. Department of Education by signing detailed terms and conditions that will be provided. The loan must be repaid to NCCU, not the US DOE.
Eligibility
Candidates eligible to receive the Leave No Educator Behind service scholarship are:
- Individuals with substantial, demonstrable career experience, or
- Those who were graduated from an institution of higher education not more than three years before applying to the Leave No Educator Behind program
- Persons who have completed an academic major in the academic subject area in which they plan to teach.
Applicants must seek certification in a high-need academic subject in order to qualify for the Leave No Educator Behind Lateral Entry Scholarship Program. For purposes of the Transition to Teaching program, high-need subjects include all of the core academic subjects PLUS Special Education, ESL/Bilingual, and Elementary Education. The core academic subjects are:
- English, reading, or language arts
- Mathematics
- Science
- Foreign languages
- Civics and government
- Economics
- Arts
- History
- Geography
Applicants seeking certification in Special Education must submit a letter of recommendation from their principal supporting their entry into this area of concentration.
Requirements
The Leave No Educator Behind program is highly selective and enriched with professional development opportunity. Below is a list of requirements that applicants must meet in order to be considered for participation in the Leave No Educator Behind program:
- Interest in obtaining licensure in any discipline within NCCU licensure areas. Priority will be given to areas of math, science, and special education.
- Commitment to teaching in Vance or Warren County school districts.
- Possess no more than two years teaching experience.
- Intention to receive teacher certification through NCCU.
- Commitment to take NCCU Distance Education courses (Online, face-to-face and/or teleconference)
- Possess a Bachelor's Degree.
- Possess a grade point average of 2.5 or higher.
- Legal resident of North Carolina
- Citizen of the United States
For more information, please contact:
Vance County Schools
http://www.vcs.k12.nc.us
Contact Will McLean
Director of Human Resources
P.O. Box 7001 , Henderson, NC 27536
(252) 492-2127
wmclean@mail.vcs.k12.nc.us
Warren County Schools
http://www.wcsk12.com
Contact Linda Mason
Director of Human Resources
P.O. Box 110 , Warrenton, NC 27589
(252) 257-3184
lmason@wcsk12.com
Weldon City Schools
http://www.weldoncityschools.k12.nc.us
Contact Kelvin Edwards
Executive Director of Human Resources
Weldon City Schools
301 Mulberry Street
Weldon, NC 27890
(252) 536-4821
edwardsk@weldoncityschools.k12.nc.us
NCCU School of Education
Contact Cheresa Clemons
Advisor/Liaison
School of Education , Room 2090
712 Cecil Street , Durham, NC 27707
(919) 530-7296
cclemons@nccu.edu
Funded by a grant from U.S. Department of Education, Transition to Teaching Program