NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: May 24, 2019
JACKSON, Miss – The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) is partnering with Mississippi Professional Educators (MPE) to award scholarships to up to 125 diverse candidates who wish to pursue their National Board Certification. Awardees will each receive a $475 scholarship. Diversity may be based on an educator’s race, gender, ethnicity, subject(s) taught, or pathway to licensure.
The scholarship opportunity is made possible through a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, which also supports the Mississippi Teacher Residency program.
This scholarship will provide seed money for recipients to begin their National Board journey. Scholarship recipients will use the state’s reimbursement of their initial component to pay for subsequent components.
Scholarship recipients will also be reimbursed for the $75 registration fee to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and will receive up to $100 for mentoring support at a World Class Teaching Program.
Ninety-five scholarships will be awarded to the highest-ranked applicants teaching in Sunflower County, Jackson Public Schools, Moss Point and Ocean Springs school districts. The remaining 30 scholarships will be awarded to the highest-ranked applicants from the state at large.
To be eligible to apply, applicants must:
- Be under contract as a full-time educator in Mississippi during the 2019-20 school year
- Hold a bachelor’s degree and a valid Mississippi teaching license
- Have three years of classroom experience
- Submit the $75 nonrefundable and nontransferable registration fee to the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards and have a valid candidate identification number
- Register with a Mississippi World Class Teaching Program by October 30, 2019 and adhere to all program guidelines
- Be a first-time National Board candidate who is pursuing the initial component
The application is available at the MPE website. Completed applications are due to the MPE office by 4:30 pm on Friday, August 23, 2019.
For questions, please contact Kelly Riley (Kelly@mpe.org; 601-355-5517).
Media Contact:
Patrice Guilfoyle, APR
Director of Communications
601-359-3706
Jean Cook, APR
Director of Public Relations
601-359-3519