Tuition stipends for aspiring teachers available
HONOLULU – Scholarship tuition stipends for qualified future teachers are available as part of the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s College of Education (COE) Grow Our Own Teachers Initiative.
Applicants who have been admitted into the Master of Education in Teaching Secondary or Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Teacher Education (PBCTE) Elementary program for fall 2020 or who have applied to the PBCTE Secondary program for spring 2021 are eligible.
This unique partnership between the COE and Hawaii Department of Education (HIDOE), with the generous support of Sen. Michelle Kidani, is providing working educators with an opportunity to obtain a teaching license.
Designed for HIDOE employees who serve as emergency hires, substitute teachers or educational assistants, the initiative directly addresses teacher shortage areas in Hawaiian language, world languages, English, mathematics and science. The application process is rigorous in order to ensure candidates match these priority areas.
“I deeply appreciate the GOO program because it is a creative way for the DOE to fill teaching vacancies while making sure our keiki have access to the teachers they deserve, especially those who are already invested in staying in Hawaii,” said Charlotte Frambaugh-Kritzer, director of the Institute for Teacher Education Secondary program. “My heart is always touched when the GOO candidates tell me, ‘Thank you! I could not be in the secondary teaching program without the financial support of GOO.’ This is a win-win for all.”
The new cohort of Grow Our Own candidates begins in January 2021 and is expected to graduate in May 2022. Upon completion of the program, participants are eligible to apply for teacher licensure from the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board and are required to commit to three years of full-time teaching in HIDOE or state charter schools in their licensed field.
Applications for the Grow Our Own initiative are due by Sept. 1, 2020 for priority admission and Oct. 1, 2020 for final consideration. For more information, contact Marie Guillermo at mariegui@hawaii.edu.