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College of Education Receives $85,600 from PowerSchool Education Fund to Help Teacher Candidates Cover Out-of-Pocket Expenses

Precious Sidbury

NC State’s College of Education has received a gift of $85,600 from the PowerSchool Education Fund to provide students in its teacher preparation programs with financial assistance to help cover out-of-pocket expenses as they prepare to enter the classroom as teachers. 

“This gift is such an important gift for our college,” said Erin Thomas Horne, assistant dean for assessment and professional education with the College of Education. “This gift helps us to support candidates with the many expenses beyond their degree to become a teacher.”

Students in the college’s undergraduate teacher-licensure programs and Master of Arts in Teaching program can incur out-of-pocket expenses like licensure exams and background checks as they apply for jobs and complete their licensure requirements to teach. Support from the PowerSchool Education Fund goes toward these expenses for students with a demonstrated financial need. Preference will also be given to students with an interest in diversifying the teaching force. 

“I’m already currently teaching so it provides relief for one less thing teachers have to pay for financially,” said Precious Sidbury, a Master of Arts in Teaching student in the College of Education. “Thank you [to PowerSchool] for helping teachers like me to be able to not have to worry about certain finances while in school and teaching. It provides us relief and helps remove worry and stress.”

PowerSchool, a cloud-based K-12 software provider, launched its Education Fund in July 2021 to address critical educational issues, including those related to the teacher shortage, diversity gap and access to technology. 

“Our students have expenses that many other graduates from other majors do not have, and we are happy to remove this barrier to them becoming successful teachers in the classroom thanks to PowerSchool,” Horne said.