TEACH grants were created by Congress in 2007 when it enacted the College Cost Reduction and Access Act. The grants are for up to $4,000 annually. In order not to repay the grants, students must agree to teach for four years either in a school that serves low-income students or work in a high need field (special education is one of the high need fields). If the student does not meet this requirement within eight years of graduation, the grants must be repaid with interest. The student's school must be a participant in the program for the student to be eligible to apply for the grant funding.
The U.S. Department of Education makes competitive awards to colleges and universities that train special-education teachers who work in a English-learner environment. These grants may be used to provide stipends to students of these institutions, and they do not have to be repaid. If teaching special-education English learner students is an interest of yours, apply to colleges and universities that have received these awards. For example, according to Yumasun.com, Northern Arizona University's Yuma branch received a $1.5 million federal grant for teacher training in 2009. The program, named Preparing Rural Inclusive Special Educators (PRISE), is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of English Language Acquisition. For the next five years, 15 students entering their junior year, majoring in elementary and special education and are employed as instructional aides in designated schools, PRISE will cover books and tuition for five semesters. The program is designed to develop teachers who can educate special-needs students who are also English language learners.
The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, also awards competitive grants to colleges and universities that prepare special-education teachers. As a student, seek out schools that have won multiple federal awards, so you will have a chance to receive this money to support your education. For example, in 2002, California State University-Chico received a $2.3 million grant to support stipends for teacher education that did not need to be repaid. One grant type supported the preparation of teachers to serve children with severe disabilities in high-poverty rural school districts, and another supported the preparation of teachers to serve school-aged children with mild to moderate disabilities in a large region experiencing a personnel shortage. The first grant type was for a $6,600 per year stipend for books, travel and school fees to 125 intern teachers per year for five years, and the other a $5,200 stipend to 100 intern teachers per year for four years.
If you are considering multiple universities or colleges for your special-education major, call the financial aid office of each institution to ask if it is awarding stipends to special-education students using federal grant money and if you must meet specialized criteria, such as becoming an education aide in a particular school district to be eligible.
According to Whitehouse.gov, the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the main source of grant funding for special-education personnel preparation in the U.S. According to the site, this program invests in key areas of special-education personnel training where state and local educational agencies' investment is low.