The KEA Student Program helps them complete their portfolios; document their mastery of Kentucky's standards for new teachers; write their resumes and learn valuable interviewing skills; prepare for the PRAXIS exams; and network with teachers and administrators in the school districts where they will apply for teaching positions. Our former members say their experience in the KEA Student Program helped them most when they must demonstrate their capacity for leadership during their KTIP year.

Professional Development
Each year KEA Student Program members enjoy access to more than a dozen state and regional professional development events and many more at their home campuses, and included the certificates they received in their portfolios. All of these events are open, free

Community Outreach
KEA Student Program members take part in community outreach projects at home and across the state. KEA Student Program members visit schools across Kentucky to read with children who might not otherwise have that experience.

In each of the last three years the KEA Student Program and its individual campus chapters donated more than 1,500 books to needy children at schools across Kentucky as part of NEA's Read Across America.

Our chapter at Northern Kentucky University was honored by NEA in 2007 for staging the nation's "Best Student-Planned Read Across America Event." In 2007 and 2008 we performed "extreme makeovers" on schools in the Bullitt County and Newport Independent school districts.

Leadership
KEA Student Program members learn valuable leadership skills on campus and through opportunities to work with KEA's local associations; in elected and volunteer positions at the state level with the Student Program and KEA; and by representing KEA and the KEA Student Program at national and regional conferences.

In the last ten years alone, more than 300 KEA Student Program members from 28 colleges and universities have represented KEA and the Student Program at national professional conferences in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Louisville, Miami, New Orleans, Orlando, Philadelphia, Wilmington and Washington DC.

Scholarships and Awards
In the last ten years, KEA has awarded more than $60,000 in scholarships to members of the KEA Student Program, through the Marvin Dodson-Carl Perkins Scholarship awards program; every member is eligible to apply.

In 2005, 2006 and 2007, a Kentucky student won the national Jack Kinnaman Memorial Scholarship, which is awarded each year to two members of the NEA Student Program.

Liability Insurance
As a member of the KEA Student Program you are covered automatically under the NEA Educators Employment Liability Insurance Program. If legal action is brought against you for any incident that occurs during your student teaching or other on-site classroom activities required for your degree program, your legal expenses will be paid, along with up to $1,000,000 million in damages

For more information, contact Charles Main, at cmain@kea.org or call 1-800-231-4532, ext. 315.