HBCU Males Engage in Intense Training Institute hosted by Thurgood Marshall College Fund

July 19, 2011 - PRLog -- The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) and Wells Fargo have teamed up to influence the next generation of male educators with an intensive, pre-service HBCU Male Summer Institute. The HBCU Male Summer Institute will be held Sunday through Saturday, July 17-July 23, 2011 at Prairie View A&M University, located just outside of Houston.

The HBCU Male Summer Institute is part of TMCF’s Teacher Quality and Retention Program (TQRP). Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominately Black Institutions (PBIs) graduate more minority teachers than any other source. TMCF has designed the TQRP to help these teachers enhance the learning experience of students. TQRP also provides an exciting opportunity for aspiring educators to work with master teachers and with one another for one common purpose: to become National Board Certified Teachers who can effectively serve in high-need rural and urban schools. The program consists of four Summer Institutes: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Majors, New Teachers, Pre-Service Teachers, and HBCU Male.

“TQRP’s aim is to enhance how teachers from TMCF’s 47-member network of public HBCUs/PBIs approach the day-to-day challenges in the classroom while progressing professionally,” explained Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., President & CEO of TMCF.

The HBCU Male Summer Institute will be led by Howard R. Jean, Director of the “Call Me MISTER” Teacher Leadership Program at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. Jean has recruited support from leaders in public, private and third-party educational institutions in order to bring a three-dimensional view of the current landscape of education in the United States.

“Becoming the unconventional teacher for the non-traditional classroom” is the focus of the institute, Jean said, adding that “in order to become needed change agents, the participants will be encouraged to pursue National Boards Certification, which places them in the top tier group of educators in the United States.”

The all-male pre-service teachers group of 50 students will be lectured and will participate in workshops that emphasize innovations in teaching, lesson plan design, professional development, education policy panel discussions, educators as entrepreneurs, school-age violence, and after-school programming. They will also receive preparation for their respective national teacher examination.   Guest faculty will include: Dr. Lucian Yates, Dean of Prairie View A & M University’s School of Education, who will lecture participants on his research on the “Exploratory Phenomenological Study of African-American Male Pre-Service Teachers at a Historical Black University in the Mid-South” and how it applies to pupils of the pre-service teacher’s group; Dr. Will Parker of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, will discuss the process of becoming national board certified. There will also be a special panel convened of Prairie View A & M alumni who serve as Principals and Administrators in the Texas area. This panel will give the pre-service teachers insight on what administrators look for in future teachers, professional pitfalls to avoid, and there will also be candid discussions on being a professional in the field of education.   For more information on the Thurgood Marshall Teacher Quality & Retention Program (TQRP) visit http://www.thurgoodmarshallfund.net/events/hbcu-teacher-q....

For more information on Thurgood Marshall College Fund visit www.thurgoodmarshallfund.org

About the Thurgood Marshall College Fund
The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), named for the U.S. Supreme Court's first African-American Justice, was established in 1987. TMCF supports and represents nearly 300,000 students attending our 47-member schools, which include public Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs). TMCF's work is critical to guaranteeing our country a robust and diverse pipeline of talented workers and future leaders.

TMCF achieves its vision of Changing the World . . . One Leader at a Time by focusing on: Scholarships, Capacity Building & Programmatic Support, and Public Policy & Advocacy. TMCF is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization and has a "Four Star" rating by Charity Navigator. For up-to-the-minute information about TMCF and its initiatives, visit: www.thurgoodmarshallcollegefund.org.

About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company  is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.3 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 9,000 stores, 12,000 ATMs, the Internet (wellsfargo.com and wachovia.com), and other distribution channels across North America and internationally. We want to help all of our customers succeed financially and create long-term economic growth and quality of life for everyone in our communities. In 2010, the Company invested a record $219 million in grants in 19,000 nonprofits, and team members contributed more than 1.4 million volunteer hours around the country. For more information, please visit: www.wellsfargo.com/about/csr.