Teachers First Scholarship Program has made a difference:

      Since 1998, the TEACHERS FIRST Scholarship Program has been sponsored by several outstanding members of the state's banking community, brokerage firms, telecommunications industries, accounting firms, utilities and insurance companies. Thanks to their generosity and the response from other donors to the Fund, more than $2.5 million has been raised to provide need-based financial aid to outstanding students who are returning to the classroom to teach in Missouri's elementary and secondary schools.

     For the past ten years, Missouri has been faced with a critical teacher shortage, due primarily to record retirements of experienced teachers. This shortfall has been reported by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future and the National Teacher Recruitment Clearinghouse.

     In addition, the federal initiative known as NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND requires that there be a "highly qualified" teacher in every classroom. School districts are struggling with cuts in state funding and public universities are cutting programs and raising tuition. The independent member colleges of the Missouri Colleges Fund are adapting and excelling in their efforts to respond by graduating adequately prepared and properly certified teachers ready to take their place in a public elementary or secondary school in Missouri. These private colleges have a proven record of training education students who are equipped to go into and stay in the classroom.

     The Missouri Colleges Fund distributes the entire amount of the Program and the matching funds to the sixteen MCF members. They in turn have provided need-based financial aid to more than 1,600 outstanding students enrolled in teacher preparation degree programs. The programs include: child and family education; special education; elementary, middle school and secondary education.

Ten Year Summary 1998-2007

• $2,500,000 estimated total additional resources for teacher preparation scholarships.

• 1,600 estimated number of education students granted additional need-based financial aid at the Fund's member colleges and universities.

• 22,650 (1) teachers retired from the public (2) elementary and secondary schools in Missouri 5,900 (3) certified teaching positions that went unfilled statewide in the same period.

     • (1) Public School Retirement System of Missouri
     • (2) Information not available for private and parochial schools
     • (3) Figures are from the Missouri Department of Elementary
        and Secondary Education

The 16 Member Schools (in alphabetical order)

Avila University, Kansas City Central Methodist University, Fayette Columbia College, Columbia Culver-Stockton College, Canton Drury University, Springfield Evangel University, Springfield Fontbonne University, St. Louis Hannibal - LaGrange, Hannibal

Maryville University, St. Louis Missouri Baptist University, St. Louis Park University, Parkville Rockhurst University, Kansas City Southwest Baptist University, Bolivar Westminster College, Fulton William Jewel College, Liberty William Woods University, Fulton