The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Help Tool

Step by step guide to public service loan forgiveness

Chances are that you’ve at least heard of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program, but do you know if your loans qualify? How to apply? If not, we’re here to help!

First, what is PSLF? PSLF is a program that forgives the remaining balance on your Direct Loans after you have made 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer. However, your loan will only be forgiven if you meet all the PSLF Program eligibility conditions.

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PLUS Loan Basics for Parents

Your child is going to college or career school—that’s great! But you may have questions about how to pay for it. If your child hasn’t completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®), ask your child to complete it today. Completing and submitting the FAFSA is free and quick, and it gives your child access to the largest source of financial aid to pay for college or career school, including loans YOU can receive.

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7 Tips to Help Parents Make Summer Reading Fun 

When you hear the words “summer slide,” what images pop into your mind? A park slide? A water slide? Sunshine and summer fun? Wrong. 

The “summer slide” has nothing to do with a fun summer pastime. Instead, it’s a term used to describe the tendency for students to decline in achievement gains during the summer months when school is not in session. This phenomenon is especially prominent among students from low-income families who often lack access to books over summer break.

Luckily, there are many ways to prevent the summer slide. Giving children access to books plays a critical role in warding off summer learning loss. When students keep reading, they keep learning.

Here are 7 tips for parents and caregivers to help keep children engaged in reading during the summer months:

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Peaks and Pits: Mental Health Check-Ins in the Classroom

Mother talking to her smiling son sitting on green chair about school

Many children come to school with much more packed in their backpacks than just their lunch. They may walk into school weighed down by family conflicts or concerns, friendship troubles, hunger, exhaustion, or strong feelings of sadness or fear. These stressors can cause students to have greater difficulty focusing, processing information, and regulating their emotional responses. Creating a safe and supportive class environment where all students feel secure to express their feelings can help students feel more prepared to learn. One way to do this is with a daily mental health check-in.

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The Only Way Out is Through

Anxious Teenage Student Sitting Examination In School Hall

On any given day I may receive a phone call from a teacher to check in with one of my students. It may be a student who frequently complains of stomach aches or got angry and yelled about an unexpected schedule change. It could be a student that has isolated herself from others at recess or is having difficulty concentrating in class. Anxiety manifests in a variety of ways, and for our youngest learners it can be difficult to identify because they often can’t articulate the worry behind the behaviors.

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How Schools are Reducing their Environmental Impact, Improving Health, and Cultivating Stewardship Values- 2019 Green Ribbon Schools Announced

Today the U.S. Department of Education named the 2019 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools, District Sustainability Awardees, and Postsecondary Sustainability Awardees. Across the country there are 35 schools including 25 public schools, 3 magnet schools, 2 charter schools, 10 nonpublic schools, and four postsecondary institutions that are recognized. Thirty-six percent of the 2019 honorees serve a disadvantaged student body. These honorees employ innovative practices and policies to reduce environmental impact and utility costs, improve health and wellness, and ensure effective sustainability education.

Could your school be the next U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School? Here are a few ideas from the 2019 honorees:

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Signing Day: Every Team’s Most Important Recruit

4 students sit at a table signing their commitment to Northeast CC

As spring approaches, thousands of coaches and athletes from around the country get ready for National Signing Day, a day where press conferences are scheduled, coaches’ phones ring off the hook, and star recruits ceremoniously sport the hats of their chosen colleges. For star athletes, it is the day they begin their trek toward what many hope will be professional athletic careers.

In our view, though, every student deserves a signing day.  That’s why we started Academic Signing Day at Northeast Community College.  We take the opportunity to highlight academic scholars who pursue higher education in one of our career and technical education (CTE) programs as they work toward becoming professionals in their chosen career field.

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Apprenticeship – An Unexpected Choice Becomes the Path to Success

Kevin stands outside on graduation day in a red cap and gown holding his diploma

Everyone assumed Kevin King would graduate and head straight to college.

“I was your stereotypical AP student,” he notes. “Straight A’s through middle school, almost straight A’s through high school … I was the guy you would look at and say, ‘He’s going to college.’ It was just a matter of which one.”

As it turned out, Kevin picked a different path – one that perfectly fit his goals and interests. His struggle wasn’t figuring out what he wanted to do – it was coming to terms with the fact that what he really wanted for himself was different than what others expected of him.

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