Rural Alternative Licensure Stipend
The Colorado Center for Rural Education and the Colorado Department of Higher Education encourage talented individuals interested in teaching to enroll in an alternative licensure program and work in a rural or small rural school district in Colorado. The Rural Alternative Licensure Stipend (RALS) provides recipients with up to $6,000 to pay for a variety of program-related costs (e.g., Alternative Licensure program-, PRAXIS-, Alternative License-, Initial License-, technology- and travel-related costs). If selected as a RALS Scholar, the recipient will receive half the stipend amount at the start of their alternative licensure program and the remaining half after obtaining an Initial License from the Colorado Department of Education.
Application Requirements
Eligible Applicants Must Meet the Following Criteria:
- Be enrolled in an approved Alternative Licensure Program
- Be employed as an educator in a Colorado rural school district.
- Be committed to teach in a Colorado rural school district for three (3) years after receiving their initial license from the Colorado Department of Education.
- Be committed to maintain communications with the Colorado Center of Rural Education staff to share experiences, complete surveys, and provide a letter from the alternative licensure program provider or school administrator verifying the recipient has received an initial license and remains employed in a rural school district.
Eligibility Preference
Recipients must commit to teach for three (3) years in one of the rural school districts (especially small rural school districts with less than 1,000 students) located 50 miles or more from major metropolitan areas and outside of the Front-Range region of Colorado.
Definition of Rural School District
For the purpose of this stipend, any Colorado school district with a student enrollment of 6500 students or less is defined as a rural school district. Preference for student teaching placement will be given to those school districts that are also located 50 miles or more from major metropolitan areas and outside of the Front-Range region of Colorado.
