Pacific Resources for Education and Learning

Building Capacity Through Education

• Home
• News

PREL Accepting Applications for the Pacific Teacher Scholarship

Established in 2004, The Pacific Teacher Scholarship Fund grants students pursuing a teaching career in the U.S.-affiliated Pacific assistance with tuition. The fund was founded by Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL) with a mission to increase the number of qualified teachers working in the Pacific region. Each year, five students are awarded scholarships ranging from $750 to $1,000. The funds are a collection of charitable donations from the community-at-large, including businesses, PREL staff and board members, and the general public.

PREL is now accepting applications. To apply for a scholarship for the 2010–2011 school year, contact your local PREL service center or visit PREL’s Pacific Teacher Scholarship Web page, which lists the application form and instructions. All application materials must be received at our Honolulu office by April 1, 2010.

To date, 33 aspiring teachers have been awarded scholarships. Among them, is Lorie Milne of Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands. Lorie applied for the scholarship in 2004 and again in 2008, and was awarded both times. In 2004, she received funds to attend the College of Marshall Islands, where she earned her A.S. in elementary education. She continued her teaching career at the Majuro Middle School with her new certification. In 2008, the scholarship helped her again, when she enrolled at Brigham Young University-Hawaii to begin work on her B.A. in education. Lorie will bring her new knowledge and expertise home to Majuro to share with her students.

Strickson Fredrick of Pohnpei, awarded in 2007, was enrolled in the College of Micronesia-FSM’s Third-Year Certification of Achievement Program in Teacher Preparation. The Pacific Teacher Scholarship helped fund Strickson’s dream of helping the students of Pohnpei get better jobs and be better leaders. Awarded in 2009, Charity Faith Ileyagisiug of Woleai, Yap, was also enrolled in the College of Micronesia-FSM’s Third-Year Certification of Achievement Program in Teacher Preparation. The scholarship helped pay for her final semester, so she could go back to Yap to fulfill her dream of becoming a certified elementary school teacher, and give the students there the quality education they need and deserve.

If you are interested in donating to the effort, please visit PREL’s Pacific Teacher Scholarship Web page and click on Donate, or mail your donation to: The Pacific Teacher Scholarship Fund, PREL, 900 Fort Street Mall, Suite 1300, Honolulu, HI  96813.

(Posted February 25, 2010)

Pacific Comprehensive Center (PCC) Quarterly Newsletter January 2010 Issue

The quarterly newsletter is a publication of the Pacific Comprehensive Center, a program of Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL). The newsletter highlights PCC activities, offers updates from national content centers, and provides information about upcoming conferences, events, and webinars. The current issue covers October–December 2009 and is available for download here.

(Posted January 28, 2010)

Access To High-Quality Resources Focus of Educational Grant

Most state education agencies (SEAs), their schools, their teachers, and their students face the same or similar educational challenges; in particular, achieving high literacy in reading and mathematics for students. To attain this goal, SEAs need to support teachers by implementing effective curriculum, high-quality professional development, proven teaching practices, data collection, and assessment.

To assist with these challenges, there is a grant provided by the U.S. Department of Education's (U.S. ED) Territories & Freely Associated States Education Grant Program (T&FASEGP) which provides funds to awarded SEAs for instructional materials and equipment for their schools, curriculum development, professional development, and data collection and reporting. The four Pacific island SEAs who are current recipients of this grant are the American Samoa Department of Education (ASDOE), the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Public School System (CNMI PSS), the Guam Department of Education (GDOE), and the Republic of Palau Ministry of Education (Palau MOE). This grant award enables them to pursue their educational goals according to their individual school system needs, as well as address areas for improvement as prescribed by the U.S. ED.

Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL) has provided technical assistance to the SEA grantees since 2001. PREL collaborates closely with each school agency and other selected service providers to maximize the impact of their T&FASEGP funds. Offering a variety of services from providing assistance and professional development to conducting regional workshops and institutes around relevant educational topics, PREL plays an integral role in the grant projects. A major focus of PREL's technical assistance has been the development of a school information database, the Pacific Education Data Management System (PEDMS) and providing training workshops in the use of the system. With the PEDMS, school administrators may be informed to improve management, planning, and accountability. With the T&FASEGP, PREL continues its mission of Building Capacity Through Education.

For further information, contact Canisius T. Filibert at (808) 441-1343 or visit PREL's T&FASEGP website.


(Posted January 18, 2010)

Contact PREL