FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 5, 2004 - Shirley Luna

SFA to offer teacher education online

Teacher’s aides who are interested in becoming teachers will be able to surf their way to a teaching certificate through a program beginning in January at Stephen F. Austin State University.

The SFA Department of Elementary Education will offer a program to certify early childhood and elementary school teachers online. The program is designed for students who: are seeking a baccalaureate degree with teacher certification for pre-kindergarten through fourth grade, and have earned at least 45 hours at a community college or other four-year institution with a 3.0 grade point average, and are currently (or formerly) employed as paraprofessionals or teacher aides in public schools, and/or are unable to commute to Nacogdoches to take traditional face-to-face courses.

Financial aid is available for qualifying participants. Currently employed public school aides qualify for the Educational Aides Exemption. For more information, visit the Web site www.collegefortexans.com/cfbin/tofa2.cfm?ID=38.

Transfer students from community colleges may qualify for SFA's Community College Transfer Scholarship Program. For information, go to: www.sfasu.edu/admissions/Scholarshipindex.htm

Interested students who meet the requirements for admission to the program must act quickly in order to be considered for the spring semester, according Susan Nelson, coordinator for the EC-4 Distance Education Completion Program. For more information, contact Nelson at (936) 468-2904 or via e-mail at snelson@sfasu.edu.