PSEA is a community of education professionals who make a difference in the lives of students every day.
More than 7,000 future educators studying at PA colleges and universities are members of Student PSEA. As part of the next generation of educators, Student PSEA helps members hit the ground running through professional development workshops, service projects, and more.
And join the convo with other Student PSEA members. You'll hear things like, "Did you know you can join as a multi-year member? It's more cost effective and guarantees uninterrupted liability coverage!"
Why should you join Student PSEA? Here are the top 10 reasons why.
Join by completing the 2023-24 Student PSEA enrollment form or by clicking the button below.
The Source is an e-newsletter for Student PSEA members that focuses on current issues, provides quick updates, and spotlights activities and events happening around the commonwealth.
In this issue:
Please join us for the annual Student PSEA State Conference and Convention from March 21-23, 2024 at Eden Resorts & Suites in Lancaster.
You will have opportunities for professional development, to give back to the community, and to network with fellow aspiring educators across Pennsylvania. Click here to view the conference agenda.
The conference is FREE for all Student PSEA members to attend. There will be NO registration fee. Registration ends Feb. 20.
Keynote speaker: Elizabeth Raff, 2022 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year
Conference presenters:
Questions? Contact students@psea.org.
On Feb. 6, Gov. Josh Shapiro unveiled his FY 2024-25 proposed budget which included a $5 million increase to a new Pennsylvania Student Teacher Support Program administered through the Pennsylvania Higher Education Association Agency (PHEAA) that will help student teachers make ends meet during their 12 weeks of student teaching. This would bring the total investment in student teacher stipends to $25 million at the beginning of the fall 2024 semester.
It is positive that Gov. Shapiro included this increase in his proposed budget, but PSEA’s estimates suggest this is far below what Pennsylvania needs to fully fund stipends for every prospective educator.
“We appreciate the governor’s commitment to investing in stipend programs for student teachers.” said PSEA President Aaron Chapin. “This is a priority for PSEA, and this increase will help expand pipelines and ease staff shortages in the years ahead.”
Pennsylvania Student Teacher Support Program applications for the 2024-25 academic year will be available in April 2024. To stay informed about new information from PHEAA, visit www.pheaa.org/partner-access/schools/pa-student-teacher-support-program/.
Join Student PSEA's Southwestern Region for the 2024 Teacher Leadership Institute Education Conference on Saturday, April 13 at the University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg. Attendees will network with fellow aspiring educators, participate in a PSEA-PACE raffle, and more.
The A.P.E.X (Achieving Professional Excellence) program is designed to encourage chapters to participate in a variety of projects, which fall under five main categories:
A.P.E.X is documentation of goals achieved and activities conducted by Student PSEA chapters. Recognition and awards are presented at the annual state conference. The A.P.E.X committee strongly recommends that chapters wishing to participate select an individual to coordinate all documentation as
identified within the rubric throughout the year.
2022-23 A.P.E.X Winners
1st Place: University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg
2nd Place: Mansfield University
3rd Place: Indiana University of Pennsylvania
The ILP is a competition where applicants design and create an interactive learning project for a targeted group of students. Projects should be student-centered and demonstrate a need for students to engage in hands-on learning in a specific content area(s).
Entry forms must be submitted before March 15 to be considered eligible for competition. All applicants submitting an entry form by this date will guarantee a reserved table to set up their ILP. Applicants are responsible for setting up completed projects before the first breakout session on March 22. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three entries in each ILP category.
The Lucy A. Valero Scholarship Fund, administered by PSEA, provides scholarships to outstanding Pennsylvania college and university students who are enrolled in accredited teacher preparation programs.
The fund also provides a scholarship to a high school student who is a member of the Future Educators Association.
NEA Aspiring Educators CREATE Grants
Student PSEA members and chapters are eligible to apply for CREATE grants. These grants of up to $2000 should strengthen NEA's Aspiring Educators Program and build stronger partnerships. Grants should also have a primary focus in one of the areas aligned with AE Core Values: educator quality, community engagement, political action, and social justice.
2024 Northeastern Region PSEA-Retired Scholarship
The Northeastern Region PSEA-R Scholarship is available for junior education majors who have graduated from a school district in the Northeastern region.
2024 Montgomery County PSEA-Retired Susan K. Castle Memorial Scholarship Fund
The retired educators in Montgomery County (PSEA-Retired) is offering scholarships to rising college juniors or incoming seniors who have graduated from a Montgomery County public high school who are studying education.
Summer Hiil Scholarship Application
The Summer Hill Legacy Scholarship is a $1,000 scholarship to the dependent of a member in good standing of PSEA who works for or retired from a school district located in Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Juniata, Franklin, Fulton, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry, or York county. The eligible applicant must be a current college student enrolled in an approved undergraduate program of teacher education in an accredited institution of higher education in Pennsylvania.
NEA AE Micro-credentials: NEA provides 16 micro-credential courses to aspiring educators that help you develop the skills and understanding you need in your first steps to becoming a classroom teacher.
PEARL: PSEA’s online learning hub with over 95 courses and counting.
PSEA's Center for Professional Learning webinars and book discussions:
Upcoming Early Career Educator webinars:
The EDGE program seeks to bring together pre‐professionals with experienced teachers and other education professionals who can share their wisdom, foster collaboration among professionals, and ignite a desire to excel as a great educator. PSEA members and staff are committed to the success of Student PSEA members, and the EDGE program provides an opportunity to interact, share ideas, and discuss the issues facing public education and
the teaching profession.
EDGE program goals:
Mini-courses title examples:
The NEA Educators' Employment Liability Program is a professional liability insurance program provided as a benefit of PSEA/NEA membership, and underwritten by a highly-rated insurance company.
Education is a challenging and rewarding profession. And Pennsylvania’s public school students need the very best and brightest to make sure they’re getting the power of a great education.
Find more resources in PSEA's Toolkit and start planning a career in public education by clicking the button below.
Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) resources
Get started by visiting www.psea.org/subswanted, and learn more about the substitute teacher legislation at www.psea.org/sublegislation.
NEA is working to cancel student debt and improve loan forgiveness programs for educators. That's why you have access to NEA's Student Debt Navigator, a free online student loan evaluation tool to help you manage your debt that offers:
Student PSEA offers various awards for chapters, faculty advisors, members, and leaders.
Outstanding Chapter Event Award: Nomination Form
The Student PSEA Organization Outstanding Chapter Event Award recognizes chapters that have achieved excellence through an event that created involvement for their chapter members and/or their community members.
Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award: Nomination Form
The Student PSEA Organization Outstanding Chapter Faculty Adviser Recognizes individuals for dedication and service to the PSEA Student Program at the chapter level.
Outstanding Servant Leader Award: Nomination Form
The Student PSEA Organization Outstanding Servant Leader Award recognizes individuals who have achieved excellence throughout the year by providing leadership at the region or chapter level.
Exceptional Underclassman Award: Nomination Form
The Student PSEA Organization Exceptional Underclassmen Award recognizes freshmen or sophomores who have achieved excellence throughout the year by providing leadership at the region or chapter level.
NEA's Aspiring Educator Awards - The GramAEs
NEA offers the opportunity for state and chapter affiliates to be recognized for their great work through 10 award categories.
There are a lot of benefits to being a PSEA member, and one of them is that your membership saves you money.
The PSEA Member Benefits program offers you thousands of discount and savings opportunities on mortgages, mobile service, insurance, financial services, restaurants, hotels, and more.
Check out the programs below and start saving today!
PSEA represents more than 7,000 future educators at Pennsylvania colleges and universities.
President
Emily Jett, University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg
President-elect
Riley Artis, Slippery Rock University
Vice President
Amber Bloom, University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg
Secretary
Alexandra McKinney, Mansfield University
PSEA-PACE Chair
Marina Lagatutta, University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg
Central Region President
Grace Grenier, Mansfield University
Central-Western Region President
Jessica Vognetz, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Eastern Region President
Lillian Carney, Albright College
Mideastern Region President
Vacant
Midwestern Region President
Vanessa Huth, Slippery Rock University, and Sarah Peace, Clarion University
Northeastern Region President
Olivia Lykens, Bloomsburg University
Northwestern Region President
Gavin Mitsdarfer, Edinboro University
Southern Region President
Katlyn Hoskins, Shippensburg University
Southeastern Region President
Haley Maher, West Chester University
Southwestern Region President
Kayla Loebach, University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg
Western Region President
Vacant