IUP awarded funding to accelerate special education certifications
IUP was awarded $99,330 as part of a $1 million aid package from Gov. Josh Shapiro's administration.
"Pennsylvania's educator workforce shortage will take flexibility, innovation and creativity to solve," acting state Secretary of Education Carrie Rowe said in a release, "and initiatives like the Accelerated Special Educator Certification Program demonstrate how thinking outside the box can produce critical and much-needed results for the commonwealth."
The accelerated offering makes grants available to college and universities with approved pre-K through 12th grade special education certification programs to partner with one school district, at least, career and technical centers, private school, charter and cyber charter schools, as well as intermediate units.
Those partnerships are then used to provide students with summer field experiences, coaching and mentoring during the school year, and deliver a post-baccalaureate program for pre-K through 12th grade special education teacher certification within 18 months.
There are 142 news special educators set to enter classrooms across the state, according to PDE, and hundreds more who will take advantage of this opportunity.
For more information, visit www.pa.gov/agencies/education.
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Forbes
6 hours ago
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Student Loan Interest Jumps This Week For 7.7 Million Borrowers
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Department Of Education Blames Court Ruling For Student Loan Interest Resumption The Trump administration suggested that the resumption of interest for SAVE plan borrowers was the result of another recent court ruling in the ongoing litigation over the future of the program. 'The Department will take this action to comply with a federal court injunction that has blocked implementation of the SAVE Plan, including the Department's action to put SAVE borrowers in a zero percent interest rate status,' said the department in its prior statement. 'The Department had the authority under the SAVE plan to prevent borrowers from going into negative amortization, which is the authority the Department relied on to put borrowers in zero percent interest rate status. Outside of that regulatory provision in SAVE (which is enjoined), the Department lacks the authority to put borrowers into a zero percent interest rate status.' 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CNET
19 hours ago
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"However, the forms and the Loan Simulator have yet to be updated. It may take the department and the servicers some time to update their systems and information." In the meantime, look for the most affordable repayment option available, or you can choose to keep your loans in forbearance. Read more: SAVE Borrowers Encouraged to Move to IBR Even Though Forgiveness Options Are Paused. Here's What's Going On Will my payments increase if I move my loans from SAVE? Yes, most borrowers should expect higher payments when moving their loans from SAVE. Although income-driven repayment plans are generally more affordable than the standard repayment plan, SAVE was the most affordable student loan repayment plan to date. Many low-income borrowers had $0 or near $0 payments each month. CNET estimated that a single borrower earning $60,000 a year with $30,000 in student loan debt would have paid approximately $217 on SAVE. Switching to another income-driven repayment plan like IBR could increase their monthly payment by nearly $100. You can use the Federal Student Aid Loan Simulator to estimate what your new monthly payment will look like. If I switch payment plans, when will I receive my first bill? If you switch to IBR or another repayment plan, that doesn't mean your first monthly payment will hit in August. "The US Department of Education still has a backlog in processing the forms to request a change of repayment plan, so they might not have to make payments for a few months until their request to switch repayment plans is processed," said Mark Kantrowitz, a financial aid and student loan expert. Still, it's smart to prepare for repayment right away, just in case. My new student loan payment is too high. What can I do? Many borrowers will see higher payments on another payment plan, even an income-driven repayment plan like IBR. If you need more time to prepare for repayment, you can also wait to switch repayment plans until the forbearance period ends. "Borrowers will have the option to stay in the general forbearance, for now," said Rubin. "However, borrowers who decide to stay in the forbearance need to stay informed. The Department has indicated that borrowers will remain in the forbearance until the legal challenges are resolved, or until the student loan servicer can send them a bill for the proper repayment amount." If you need more time to prepare for repayment, leaving your loans on hold can give you extra months to plan. During this time, you should consider making interest-payments, if possible, to prevent your account balance from rising. "There are no prepayment penalties on federal and private student loans, so nothing stops you from making interest-only payments," said Kantrowitz. "You can manually calculate the interest on your loans and make a prepayment in that amount each month." While the forbearance period won't last forever, it is currently expected to last until mid-2026. However, an upcoming court case could change that and end forbearance sooner. If you're facing financial distress, you might consider economic hardship deferment, unemployment deferment or general forbearance, said Kantrowitz. But he warned that interest may continue to accrue, which could dig you into a deeper hole. You can reach out to your servicer or review financial hardship options on the FSA website.
