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Student Resource Center

Students should know how the federal government operates, how laws are made, and what the federal government does. Below you will find information about our government broken down by grade level.
There is also a list of resources for parents and teachers, details about the annual Congressional Art Competition and helpful information about financial aid for high school and college students.

"I'm just a bill..."
Learn how a bill becomes a law here!

Resources for Students

Resources for Students in Kindergarten through Sixth Grade

Resources for Students in Sixth through 12th Grade

Resources for Parents and Teachers

 

Congressional Art Competition
Each year, congressional offices may participate in the Congressional Art Competition, “An Artistic Discovery.” This nationwide competition provides an excellent opportunity to showcase the talent of high school students and acknowledge our nation's gifted young adults. Since the competition was created in 1982, high school students from across the nation have been able to participate in expressing their creativity artistically.
The first-place winners from last year's successful competition currently hang in the tunnel between the U.S. Capitol and the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, D.C. We also recognize the second- and third-place winners. The second-place winner’s work hangs in our Washington, D.C., office; the third-place winner’s work hangs in our Hazleton District Office. We invite each high school student who lives in the 11th Congressional District to compete. If you are unsure if you live in the 11th Congressional District, please click here and enter your home ZIP code. For more information about this year's competition, please contact my Hazleton District Office at (570) 751-0050.

You may also visit the competition's Web site here.

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Financial Aid Information
Obtaining financial aid for your college education can be a daunting process. The Congressional Research Service prepared this guide for Members of Congress. It can help you locate and apply for financial aid. Updated January 2010.

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The Basics: Getting Started

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Student Aid and Where it Comes From
Basic assistance categories:

  • Financial need-based: Remember that students and their parents are responsible for paying what they can – financial aid is a supplement, not a substitute, for family resources.
  • Non need-based: Factors include academic excellence, ethnic background, or organization membership. Corporations may also offer assistance to employees and children.

Federal Student Aid:

  • Provides nearly 70% of student aid under loans, grants and work/study programs
  • Available to all need-based applicants. Some loans and competitive scholarships exist for non need-based applicants.
  • Free information from the U.S. Department of Education:
  • Loans are the most common form of federal aid and must be repaid when you graduate or leave college.
    • Stafford Loans (FFELs) and Direct Loans include:
    • Perkins Loans through participating schools for the most needy undergraduates
  • Scholarships and grants are mostly need-based and require no repayment:
  • Other grants, scholarships and fellowships that are mostly at the graduate level and can be found in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA), under terms such as "Student or Trainee" or "Graduate Student."
  • "Congressional" scholarhips:
    • Named for Member of Congress or other prominent individuals (like Byrd Honors Scholarships and Fulbright fellowships)
    • Merit-based and highly competitive
    • Members of Congress do not play a role in selecting the recipients
  • Work study programs allow you to earn money while in school:
  • If you have questions not covered by the Department of Education's Web site, call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243.

States offer residents a variety of scholarships, loans and tuition exemptions.

Colleges and universities provide some 20 percent of aid, most need-based. Check the university Web sites and the institutions’ financial aid office when you apply for admission.
Private foundations, corporations and organizations offer scholarships or grants:

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Targeted Aid for Special Groups

Interested in public service?
Federal assistance programs seek to encourage people to work in geographic areas or professions where there’s a particular need (such as doctors in underserved areas); encourage underrepresented groups to enter a particular profession; and provide aid in exchange for services provided (such as military service).

K-12 Education Aid
No direct federal assistance exists for private K-12 education. Check with individual schools.

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Repaying Your Loans
After college, the federal government has ways to help you repay your loans.

In order for our office to be able to assist you with these issues, please fill out our help with a federal agency form and mail it to one of our district offices.