Today’s Students Tomorrow’s Teachers™ Announces New Male Teacher of Color Initiative

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - May 7, 2015 - PRLog -- For two decades, Today’s Students Tomorrow’s Students™(TSTT) has been successfully addressing the serious diversity gap in the nation’s schools by developing and implementing a pioneering and viable program to attract and mentor high school students of color to pursue the noble profession of teaching.

But, last week when the non-profit announced details of its new Male Teacher of Color Initiative, TSTT had no idea that the concept would prove to be a solution to achieving the goals that President Obama set forth just days later for the launch of My Brother’s Keeper Alliance aimed at the same demographic groups.

TSTT’s plan to build on its successful track record in addressing the serious shortage of teachers of color was one of the highlights that underscored the “Strengthening the Vision” theme of the 20^th Anniversary Recognition Breakfast and Diversity in Education Forum.

Dr. Bettye Perkins, Ed., Founder, President and CEO of TSTT, said that the President’s initiative resonated very strongly with TSTT. “It is designed to address one of the most serious issues facing our society— that nearly one fourth of black and Hispanic males between the ages of 16 and 24 are neither employed nor in school.”

She added: “Like the President’s Alliance, TSTT’s Male Teacher of Color Initiative is focused on education as the answer to achieving economic stability. We are going to accomplish that by attracting, preparing and financially supporting young African-American and Latino boys in under-served communities to become tomorrow’s teachers who are caring, competent and committed to their students.”

Dr. Perkins noted that TSTT’s model of providing college tuition scholarships addresses the affordability challenge confronting many students of color. “In order to become a teacher, you must be able to go to college, the cost of which for four years is very costly for students in general and is often out of reach for students of color.”

Dr. Perkins explained that the Male Teacher of Color Initiative is intended to balance what is essentially a “glaring and unacceptable discrepancy in America’s classrooms. Among the nation’s 3.5 million teachers, only 13 percent are teachers of color and less than 3 percent are men of color. We need more male African-American, Hispanic role models at the head of the classroom to motivate and inspire students to follow the path to success.”

Dr. Perkins is confident that the Male Teacher of Color Initiative will gain traction by drawing on TSTT’s successful collaborative model. To date, the pioneering approach has resulted in 150 TSTT alumni teachers who are making a difference in the lives of more than 115,000 students in 10 states and a pipeline of 800 high school and college students in four states—New York Connecticut, Virginia and Massachusetts who are being groomed to become the next generation of teachers who will fire the imaginations of students.”

Second, the initiative, which will begin with a cohort of 50 students in Westchester and continue in New York City later this year, has gained support in significant quarters. At the 20^th anniversary celebration, Michael Mulgrew, President of the United Federation of Teachers, said in his video address: “The UFT and TSTT have much in common,” he said, adding, “We are both committed to strengthening the lives of teachers and our students. That is why the UFT is especially supportive of TSTT’s new initiative.”

Mulgrew’s support was echoed byCongressman James E. Clyburn of the 6^th Congressional District, South Carolina, Honorary Chair of TSTT’s 20^th Anniversary Committee. In his video address, Congressman Clyburn noted that TSTT students have markedly higher retention rate than students of color. “They also outperform students in general. For example, the high school graduation rate for TSTT students is 90% compared to 78% for students of color and the college admission rate is 96% for TSTT students versus 29% for students of color.”

Congressman Clyburn continued: “These dramatic comparisons make a compelling argument that TSTT’s model is exactly what our education system needs. It is not only sparking an interest in the teaching profession among students of color at an early age but nurturing, encouraging and supporting them over the long term.”

He expressed the hope of joining TSTT in the fall to launch the Male Teachers of Color initiative in NYC and looked forward to it being replicated in his native South Carolina.

Underscoring the focus on male teachers of color at TSTT’s 20^th Anniversary celebration were the two prominent educators who spoke at the Diversity Leadership Forum:  Dr. Pedro Noguera, Peter L. Agnew Professor of Education at NYU and Executive Director of the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education and Co-Director and author of seven books and more than 150 articles and monographs and Jose Luis Vilson, math educator, blogger and activist in New York City. His book, “This is Not a Test: A New Narrative on Race, Class and the Future of Education,” was published last year, copies of which were distributed to the Perkins Scholars (TSTT teachers who reached their 10^th year teaching) and to the graduating seniors and Master’s Candidates who were  honored at the event.

The male diversity theme continued with the presentation of the first Trailblazer Awards to Emerly Martinez, the first TSTT teacher from the OssiningSchool District who today is Assistant Principal at the Bedford Central School System and Jeffrey Cole, the first TSTT teacher to become an administrator, currently assistant superintendent for special education for the New Rochelle School District.

The impact of TSTT’s mentoring program on high school students was best expressed by Mr. Cole: “When I was in high school, teaching was the furthest thing from my mind. TSTT changed that and I am glad I became a teacher. The whole experience has been so fulfilling, personally and professionally.”

Dr. Perkins added: “Teaching is not only a noble profession but it is financially rewarding as well, and comes with a number of benefits. That is precisely one of the key messages we will be emphasizing in our campaign to attract African-American and Hispanic boys to consider this career path. And I truly believe that it will help the young in under-served communities to break free and pursue opportunities that strengthen families and our society. That is the shared vision of both TSTT and the President’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance.”

About Today’s Students Tomorrow’s Teachers™ TSTT is an innovative career development model that addresses teacher shortages by recruiting culturally diverse and economically challenged high school students, mentors and trains them throughout college, and then helps place them as effective teachers in schools in their communities.