Ed Dept works to undo educators' TEACH Grant student loans
educationdive | May 08, 2019
After it was revealed that Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grants — which the U.S. Department of Education awarded to aspiring teachers who said they'd work in low-income schools — oftentimes became loans that teachers had to pay back, the department has been working to correct the issues. So far, nearly 2,300 of the roughly 6,000 teachers who have asked for relief have been approved, and fewer than 20 teachers' requests have been denied, NPR reports.TEACH Grants were first offered in 2007 with the goal of recruiting aspiring educators to teach in high-needs subjects in high-needs schools for four years within an eight-year period in exchange for help with paying for college. Since then, about 21,000 teachers have fulfilled the teaching requirements, and of the 94,000 who saw their grants turned to loans, many didn't get the money because of minor administrative issues, despite meeting instructional mandates, NPR notes.