Fellowship application

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) has awarded a five year grant to Texas A&M; University-Commerce, entitled ¡Profes!: Preparing Teachers & Administrators to Better Serve English Learners in Bilingual, ESL & STEM Classrooms. The purpose of this grant is to increase the number of bilingual and ESL teachers and administrators in the region. As a result of this grant, the¡Profes! Fellows program was founded during the fall of 2012. The ¡Profes! grant office invites you to submit your application for the 2016-2017 Fellows program.

This competitive, non-needs based $3,000-$4,000/year fellowship seeks masters or doctoral students in Curriculum & Instruction specializing in bilingual or ESL education. Grant funds will be used to provide financial assistance to graduate students seeking a master’s or doctoral degree in Curriculum & Instruction specializing/focusing in bilingual or ESL (English as a Second Language) education.

• 
  Applicants who are bilingual and biliterate (Spanish-English)
  
• 
  Teachers with experience teaching English Learners (ELs)
  
• 
  Teachers who have taught math or science in departmentalized settings or who have other evidence of a strong math or science background
  
• 
  Teachers and staff from the grant partner districts (Commerce, Greenville, Mount Pleasant, Richardson, Sherman, and Sulphur Springs)
  

Applicants must meet the following criteria to be considered for a ¡Maestros! fellowship:

• 
  Bilingual, ESL, math and/or science teacher certification or enrolled in the TAMUC alternative certification program seeking bilingual or ESL certification
  
• 
  Admitted to the M.Ed. or the Ed.D. program through the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and the university’s Graduate School
  
• 
  Master’s degree plan on file which includes a bilingual education or ESL specialization, or doctoral degree plan on file with a bilingual education or ESL area of focus
  
• 
  Minimum GPA of 3.0
  
• 
  Commitment to serve English Learners at the classroom, school, or district level
  

The award will be divided into the fall and spring semesters, and will be added to student accounts after fellowship selection is made. Funds may be used to pay tuition and fees, or to lower student loan amounts. Payment dates are tentative and subject to change, but will be distributed consistent with the purpose and requirements of the program.

Students may re-apply annually for a fellowship provided they maintain a 3.0 GPA, continue to seek an M.Ed. or Ed.D. with a bilingual or ESL specialization/area of focus, and enroll in a minimum of 12 hours/year. Doctoral students who have reached candidacy and are working on their dissertations may enroll in 6 hours/year and will be awarded half fellowships. Students who do not enroll in the minimum number of hours required may have their fellowship funds reduced. In addition, fellowship recipients must communicate regularly with one or two undergraduate students, as part of the ¡Guiamos! mentoring program, before and up to three years after the undergraduates’ graduation.

• 
  ¡Guiamos/We Guide-Fellows will be assigned one or two undergraduate students as mentees. As a mentor you must communicate with mentees regularly, invite them to visit your classroom at least twice a year and submit monthly communication logs. Mentors must also participate in the online ¡Guiamos! discussion forums designed to create a professional learning community for the mentors and mentees.
  

Upon completing their M.Ed.s or Ed.D.s fellowship recipients will be required to:

• 
  Continue or seek employment as a bilingual or ESL teacher or otherwise serve English Learners as a bilingual or ESL educator for at least three years.
  
• 
  Provide employment and contact information to the grant’s office annually.
  
• 
  Cooperate with requests from the project evaluator for information required as part of the three year federally-mandated follow-up monitoring.
  

Applicants must submit the following by May 2, 2016:

• 
  _____Completed application form (by email, snail mail, or at the ¡Profes! office located in EDS 132). Must be signed by the applicant (hand-written signature required). See page 3.
  
• 
  _____400–600 word typed essay in response to the questions. See page 4.
  
• 
  _____Official college transcript(s) if transferring from another university. If already enrolled at TAMU-Commerce, an unofficial transcript may be submitted.
  
• 
  _____Three professional letters of recommendation (at least one from a college instructor).
  

They can also be hand-delivered to the ¡Profes! Grant Office in EDS (Education South) 132.

If you prefer to fax: 903-886-5581

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

For more information, contact: ProfesGrant@tamuc.edu, (903) 468-8775 OR

Grant Associate Director, Gilbert Hernández, Gilbert.Hernandez@tamuc.edu, (903) 468-8773 OR

1. 
   Printed Name: _____________________________Student ID #:_____________________
   

2. 
   Address: _________________________________________________________________
   

3. 
   Home phone: _______________________Cell or work phone: ______________________
   

Other email (will be used as secondary email): ___________________________________

4. 
   Current status (Check the one that applies):
   

_____ Admitted to the Ed.D. in Curriculum & Instruction program A&M-Commerce;

_____ Have applied to the ___M.Ed. or ___ Ed.D. (Check one that applies) program in

Curriculum & Instruction: Specialization: ____________________________

master’s or doctorate degree?

____ Bilingual Education ___ ESL Education _____ Math _____ Science

____ Other. Please provide if not listed above: _______________________________

6. 
   Check the teacher certification(s) you currently hold (Please check/circle all that apply):
   

____ 4-8 or 8-12 Math ____ 4-8 or 8-12 Science

____ Other. Please list: _________________________________________________
7. Are you currently employed by any of the following school districts?

______ Sherman ISD _____ Commerce ISD ______ Richardson ISD

______ Greenville ISD _____ Mount Pleasant ISD ______ Sulphur Springs ISD

______ Other, Please provide if not listed above: ________________________________

If yes, what language? ________________________________

9. Do you read and write a language well other than English? Yes ___ No ___

If yes, what language? ________________________________

11. Have you participated in the ¡Guiamos! mentoring program? Yes___ No___