Scholarship Guidelines

International Dyslexia Association Georgia (IDA Georgia)

Teacher Scholarship Guidelines  

(Revised January 2024)

Goals of the Scholarship Program: One of the main goals of the International Dyslexia Association Georgia (IDA Georgia) is to promote evidence-based literacy instruction for teachers.  We believe that training teachers will have the greatest impact on students who struggle to learn how to read in Georgia. In order to facilitate this goal, a Teacher Scholarship program has been established to provide support to teachers to help offset personal costs of such training.  We fund individual teachers, and not schools or school districts, with our program. Our scholarship is designed for teachers in public or private schools to provide structured literacy instruction to students in their own school setting. The scholarship program at this time is not intended to train tutors.      

The Georgia branch of IDA takes its lead from the International Dyslexia Association, whose motto is “Until Everyone Can Read.” The IDA Georgia branch is promoting programs that instruct teachers in Structured Literacy approaches to reading, as students with dyslexia and other language-based learning disabilities need these approaches to succeed. Structured Literacy approaches are systematic, explicit, sequential, and taught to mastery. They are proven by research to be most effective in remediating students with dyslexia.  For this reason, only programs whose content aligns with the aforementioned Structured Literacy approach are eligible for reimbursement through the scholarship program.

Structured Literacy programs require extensive training for teachers and must be taught with fidelity to mastery. We want to stress that taking an introductory course prepares a teacher for further training, including practicum work, but it does not qualify one as a practitioner at the outset, and this practicum experience is vital. Please discuss with the training site what additional coursework/practica are required in order to be qualified as a practitioner.   

Eligible Applicants: All teachers (general education, special education, and reading specialists) and related school personnel (SLPs, school psychologists, administrators) currently employed in a public or private school in Georgia are eligible to apply.  Applicants must be current IDA members.  If you are not currently an IDA member, click on https://portal.dyslexiaida.org/ for a membership application and the benefits of membership.  The reason for this requirement is that IDA membership provides access to current resources (e.g., journals, newsletters, IDA-Members only Facebook groups, conference discounts) to support the teacher’s knowledge of Structured Literacy, which will further reinforce the information learned in the training courses we support.  

Instructions for Completing the Teacher Scholarship Application  

1. Please submit the online application. The application can be found on the IDA-GA website (under the Scholarships tab) or here.   Applications and supporting documents must be received prior to the start of the course.  If you have any questions, please contact the IDA Georgia Scholarship Committee by email at scholarships@idaga.org

2. Full reimbursement will not be disbursed until IDA Georgia has received your required completed Give Back selection. Applicants will choose from a variety of options to give back to the IDA Georgia branch. Options include, but are not limited to: a picture of the applicant with a quote about the impact of the training, a short video about the training received, a Google slide presentation or PowerPoint about the training received, handouts the applicant creates about the training, FAQ document, picture of student work, details and handouts from the free event or webinar, volunteer on an IDA Georgia committee or a write in option.      

3. Past recipients of an IDA Georgia teacher training scholarship are ineligible to receive another scholarship for a 12-month period (w/the exception of a related practicum). Repeat applicants after that time period are welcome to apply for additional training but will be required to show evidence that they are applying what they have learned in the initial training in the classroom.

4. We have established quarterly deadlines, after which the application will not be available on the website until the next quarterly application opening date. Please refer to the chart below. 

5. For teachers to be successful in using the skills provided by trainings in their schools, institutional support for Structured Literacy is critical. Therefore, a letter of recommendation from the applicant’s current principal or immediate supervisor (for school administrators) is required and must be submitted electronically at the time of application submission.  It is advised that the applicant obtain a copy of this letter from their principal or immediate supervisor so that it can be uploaded by the applicant.    

The principal or immediate supervisor letter must address three points: 

1. The applicant’s motivation for and need to attend the teacher training in dyslexia;
2. The institution’s support for said training; and
3. Any institutional funding available to the applicant.   
4. Scholarship Awardees will be required to register for the training class and to personally pay for 100% of the tuition directly to the educational institution/training center in advance. A paid receipt from the training institution will be required for reimbursement.   
5. Applicants are eligible for an award up to 100% of the cost of the training program/course (not including course materials). 50% of the cost will be reimbursed immediately following initial payment; the remaining reimbursement amount will be dispensed upon completion of the training. The actual reimbursement amount will be dependent on a number of factors and may not cover 100% of the cost of training if the requirements in Sections 8-11 are not met and depending upon the teacher’s application as outlined in the “Criteria for Selection” below. Please refer to the numbers 8, 9, 10, 11, and the Criteria for Selection below for guidance. Each application will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Courses must meet IDA standards.    
6. Scholarship Awardees are responsible for updating the Scholarship Committee in writing at scholarships@idaga.org about any funding changes, no matter the dollar amount. Failure to notify the committee about funding changes will result in the scholarship being canceled in its entirety.  It is important to note that funding from other sources may not prevent an applicant from receiving a scholarship.
7. Remaining scholarship amounts (after the initial 50%) will be awarded to previously notified applicants after:
   1. Successful completion of the course; and
   2. Submission of required follow-up documentation within 30 calendar days of taking the course.   

Awardees must complete the online Teacher Training Follow-Up Form, found on the IDA-GA website or here. The Follow-Up form will require uploading 4 documents: 

1. A certificate of attendance/completion that you received at the end of the class.
2. A 1-page typed reflection essay. Please include how this training has impacted you. Based on your new knowledge about dyslexia, how will you change your instruction and support you offer to struggling readers?
3. A paid receipt from the training institution (which is to be submitted immediately following Awardee’s initial payment for the training in order to receive initial 50% reimbursement).
4. The Give Back option in the format selected on the original application.
5. Upon receipt of confirmation of Awardee’s payment for training, a check for the initial 50% of the cost of the training amount awarded will be mailed to Awardee at the home address listed on the Teacher Training Follow-up Form. After all follow-up documents listed in #9 have been submitted, the final reimbursement check will be mailed to the scholarship recipient at the home address listed on the Teacher Training Follow-up Form. Checks will be mailed to scholarship recipients within 30 days from the date of submission of all required follow-up materials.   
6. If the approved course is canceled, the original scholarship offer becomes null and void. Therefore, applicants will need to reapply for a future scholarship consideration. 

Criteria for Selection of Teacher Scholarship Recipient 

Scholarship applicants must be current IDA members. 

A number of criteria will be considered to select successful applicants and determine reimbursement rates. It is the hope that IDA can provide 100% reimbursement for all training costs, excluding materials, but this cannot be guaranteed. Projected reimbursement amounts can be provided in advance, however, meeting the requirements of Sections 8-11 above is required for final payment. Criteria include: 

1. Quality of teacher’s responses to application questions.
2. The number of students who will be directly impacted from this teacher training.
3. The teacher’s plan to share information with their school colleagues and community.
4. Amount of alternative funding available to the applicant (e.g., funding by their school, outside scholarship funds).   
5. Current scholarship budget.
6. Geographical diversity of applicants across the state of Georgia, including underserved rural and inner-city areas,