INFORMATIONAL

  The scholarship loan program, reinstated by the 1996 General
  Assembly, is an incentive to students interested in pursuing
  teaching careers in critical shortage teaching areas.  In
  Virginia, teacher shortages are most acute in all areas of
  special education -- speech/language pathology, hearing
  disabilities, visual disabilities, severe emotional
  disturbance, severe disabilities, early childhood special
  education, learning disabilities, and mental retardation. 
  Other shortage areas, though less severe, include chemistry,
  physics, earth and space science, foreign languages, and
  industrial arts (technology education).  We would also like
  to increase the number of men at the elementary and middle
  school level and minorities in all teaching areas.  We
  encourage these individuals to make application for the
  scholarship loans.
  
  Consequently, the General Assembly approved scholarship
  loans for students enrolled in approved teacher preparation
  programs in those identified critical shortage teaching
  areas.  Minority students may be enrolled in any teaching
  area, and male students may be enrolled in any approved
  elementary or middle school teacher preparation program. 
  Upon graduation and employment in a critical shortage area,
  $2,000 would be forgiven for each year a recipient teaches
  in the public schools of Virginia.
  
  Each of the 37 institutions with Board of Education approved
  teacher education programs will be invited to nominate
  qualified candidates to receive scholarships.  Specific
  criteria for the scholarship loans and application forms
  will be sent directly to the institutions of higher
  education.  (A brochure describing the program will be
  distributed at a later date.)  A panel composed of a
  division superintendent, human resources director,
  principal, two classroom teachers, a representative each
  from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and
  the Department of Education will select the scholarship loan
  recipients.  
  
  Please do not hesitate to contact Thomas A. Elliott,
  Division Chief for Compliance, at (804) 371-2522 if you have
  questions regarding the Virginia Teacher Scholarship Loan
  Program.
  
  RTL/psp