Many with teacher scholarships don't finish requirements

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Nearly 40 percent of students who received state teacher scholarships never actually became teachers or quit after less than five years in the profession, according to a state audit released Monday.

A state education official said part of the problem is that the scholarships have gone only to recent high school graduates or students still in their first two years of college.

"So many folks just change their mind -- a lot of them in school yet, before they get out of the teacher education program, before they ever are officially admitted to it," said Janet Goeller, director of teacher recruitment and retention for the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. "Basically these are kids."

One-time grant

Aware of the audit's finding well before it was publicized, the state Board of Education gave final approval last week to a rule change intended to direct the scholarships to more career-minded people.

Beginning with the 2003-2004 school year, the $2,000 Missouri Teacher Education Scholarship will be available to college juniors and seniors.

The scholarship will remain a one-time grant, required to be paid back as a loan if students don't graduate with an education degree and then teach in Missouri's public elementary or secondary schools for five years.

Since it began in fall 1986 through fall 2000, about 3,500 students received the scholarships, 2,129 of whom fulfilled the requirements, the audit said.

The scholarships were worth $7 million, half paid by the state and the other half by the students' college or university

Database in disarray

The audit said the state's database for tracking the scholarship recipients was in disarray.

It said the education department "has never determined or evaluated how effective these programs are in attracting and retaining teachers."

Goeller said the audit provided some constructive criticism that was helpful in making administrative changes.

Part of the problem, she said, was that the scholarship program had been overseen by more than a half-dozen people, who didn't necessarily pass on any written instructions about the database.

The scholarship program now has documented procedures and will produce an annual report, she said.

The state education department contracts with the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority to collect money from students who don't fulfill the scholarship requirements.

The state gets about 90 cents back for every dollar it is owed, with the rest going to the contractor, Goeller said.

The audit criticized the arrangement because it said the loan authority only recovers the state half of the scholarship money, not the part paid by the college or university.