Archive for September 2011
Grants For School – The US Education Department Offers TEACH Grants For Your Education
September 26, 2011 | 
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The College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 led Congress to make the Teach Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant Program (TEACH), providing potential future teachers with $4,000 each year in grants in order to pay for their education, particularly if they come from a family with not much income. Wen you want to find out more about the TEACH Grant Program, you just have to check out your college’s financial aid office, as they can help you get started on your journey.
When you get a TEACH Grant, it is with the proviso that you have to start work as a full-time teacher, educating low income students at a public or private secondary school or elementary. After your TEACH Grant is awarded, you have to teach around four years in the next eight years after you finish your degree that you got through the TEACH Grant. You have to keep in mind that, if you do not get this service obligation met within the allotted time, it will switch to a federal unsubsidized Stafford loan. You will then have to repay your grant to the Department of Education. You will also have to pay the back interest from the disbursement date.
If you want to get a TEACH Grant, you have to qualify on the following grounds:
Fill out your FAFSA form, though you do not require it in order to prove your financial need. Have a status as a US citizen. Enroll yourself in any part of the higher education process, given that you have an appropriate school that works with the TEACH program. Take a course of study that will lead you to the classes needed to have a teaching career. Provided your preferred field of teaching, you have to take courses that will facilitate your ability to educate there. Maintain a GPA of 3.25 or higher, or otherwise meet the requirements that are given to you by the school in order to keep in good standing. Get your TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve signed.
You can get TEACH Grants in such high need fields as English Language Acquisition, Foreign Language, Reading Specialist, Science, Special Education, Bilingual Education, Mathematics, and many more fields of study that have shortages of qualified teachers in the nation when you get the grant.
If you are working in a low income school, you will know if it is listen in the Annual Directory of Designated Low-Income Schools for Teacher Cancellation Benefits created by the Department of Education. The tcll.ed.gov Website is a great place to find this Directory.
You have to sign your TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve each year that you get the grant; you can use the Department of Education Website to find this agreement each time. In the TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve, you can find the conditions that you have to meet in order to get the grant, as well as what you need to qualify for teaching service; this can include saying that you recognize that you consent to having the TEACH Grant switched to an unsubsidized federal loan in the event that you do not get a teaching job in the right time period.
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Tags: Education Grants, Grants For School, Income Students | 
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Requirements And Guidelines For Homeschooling In South Africa
Home schooling is a programme of education that a parent may provide to his or her child at home.
It is prescribed that a parent of a learner who is of compulsory school-going age should apply to the Head of the Department of Education of the province involved to register the learner for receiving education at home. This is in fact not the case. The Constitution of South Africa allows for homeschooling without registering with the Education Department. There are steps in place to try and amend this, but no new laws have been promulgated as yet. The following are compulsory phases of education:
The foundation phase (grades 1 – 3)
The intermediate phase (grades 4 – 6)
The senior phase (grades 7 – 9)
A parent of a learner who is no longer of compulsory school-going age or grade need not apply for registration for home schooling.
It is ‘prescribed’ by the Education Department that after the learner has been registered for home schooling, the parent must do the following:
Keep a record of attendance.
Keep a portfolio of the learner’s work.
Maintain up-to-date records of the learner’s progress.
Keep a portfolio of the educational support given to the learner.
Keep evidence of the continuous assessment of the learner’s work.
Keep evidence of the assessment and or examinations at the end of each year.
Keep evidence at the end of Grades 3, 6 and 9 that shows whether the learner has achieved the outcomes for these grades.
Steps to follow
It is suggested by the Department of Education that a parent must:
apply to the head of the Department of Education of the province where they live to register a child (learner) for home schooling;
submit the application form with a copy of the learner’s birth certificate;
supply documentation that outlines the unit standards the parent will facilitate (teach).
The application forms can be obtained from any provincial Department of Education.
The majority of homeschoolers in South Africa have elected not to register with the Department of Education but choose instead to register with a homeschooling defensor organisation that protects their constitutional rights.
There are a number of curricula available for purchase in South Africa, covering a variety of homeschooling methods. Some families choose the unschooling or eclectic approach.
Whichever method is decided upon by the homeschooling family, the important aspects are that the child or children get a one-on-one interaction with their educator/parent in a loving, safe and secure environment and the child is allowed and in fact encouraged to develop at his or her own pace.
Contrary to popular belief amongst professional educators in South Africa, a lack of socialisation is rarely a factor when considering homeschooling your children as they have constant interaction with the family, and very often close support groups are formed within communities enabling the child or children to interact with individuals of all ages, thus developing their own social skills whilst allowing them to actually enjoy their learning experience.”
This entry can be edited so if there is anything that you would like to add on homeschooling in South Africa please pop along to the links above and add your bit. They do make a point of saying hat absolutely no links to sites or advertising is allowed, as it is a page providing factual information.
Posted in department of education | Tags: Application Form, Application Forms, Supply Documentation | No Comments »
The Benefits of a Direct Consolidation Loan For Students
The options for students who consider to consolidate debt loans abound. Consolidate debt loans thru the U.S. Department of Education program would be the best option. Direct Consolidation Loans allow borrowers to combine one or more of their Federal education loans into a new loan that offers several advantages.
One Lender and One Monthly Payment: With only one lender and one monthly bill, it is easier than ever for borrowers to manage their debt. Borrowers have only one lender, the U.S. Department of Education, for all loans included in a Direct Consolidation Loan.
Flexible Repayment Options: Borrowers can choose from four different plans to repay your direct consolidation loans, including an Income Contingent Repayment Plan. These plans are designed to be flexible to meet the different and changing needs of borrowers. With a Direct Consolidation Loan, borrowers can switch repayment plans at anytime.
Standard Repayment Plan: You will pay a fixed amount each month until your loan(s) are paid in full. Your monthly payments will be at least $50 for up to ten to thirty years, based on your total education indebtedness.
Graduated Repayment Plan: Your minimum payment amount will be at least equal to the amount of interest accrued monthly. Your payments start out low, and then increase every two years for up to ten to thirty years, based on your total indebtedness.
Extended Repayment Plan: To be eligible, your Direct Loan balance must be greater than $30,000 and you will have up to twenty five year to repay your loan(s). You have two payment options:
Fixed Monthly Payment Option -You will pay a fixed amount each month until your loans are paid in full. Your monthly payments will be at least $50.
Graduated Monthly Payment Option – Your minimum payment amount will be at least $50 or the amount of interest accrued monthly, whichever is greater. Your payments start out low, and then increase every two years.
Income Contingent Repayment Plan (ICR): Monthly payments that are based on a borrowers annual income, Direct Loan balance and family size, and are spread over a term of up to 25 years.
No Minimum or Maximum Loan Amounts or Fees: There is no minimum amount required to qualify for a Direct Consolidation Loan! In addition, consolidation is free.
Varied Deferment Options: Borrowers with Direct Consolidation Loans may qualify for renewed deferment benefits. If borrowers have exhausted the deferment options on their current Federal education loans, a Direct Consolidation Loan may renew many of those deferment options.
In addition, borrowers may be eligible for additional deferment options if they have an outstanding balance on a FFEL Program loan made before July 1, 1993, when they obtain their first Direct Loan.
Reduced Monthly Payments: A Direct Consolidation Loan may ease the strain on a borrower’s budget by lowering the borrower’s overall monthly payment. The minimum monthly payment on a Direct Consolidation Loan may be lower than the combined payments charged on a borrower’s Federal education loans.
Retention of Subsidy Benefits: There are two (2) possible portions to a Direct Consolidation Loan: Subsidized and the unsubsidized. Borrowers retain their subsidy benefits on loans that are consolidated into the subsidized portion of a Direct Consolidation Loan.
Having the best information before you consolidate debt loans for students could do more good to you than not having known what your benefits are. Now you can say you are well informed and thus make an informed decision when you do consolidate debt loans.
Posted in department of education | Tags: Department Of Education, Income Contingent Repayment, Payment Option | No Comments »