Led by Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Young Men’s Initiative, NYC Men Teach is an engagement and recruitment effort aimed to inspire more men of color to become teachers in New York City. The new initiative will credential and retain 1,000 qualified men of color as teachers in public schools.
Working in collaboration with the Department of Education, City University of New York and Teach for America, NYC Men Teach provides student support and counseling; various professional supports, including cohort activities and a mentoring network; and the Principals Network to implement best practices that promote differentiated teacher supports in the workplace.
While Black, Latino and Asian male students make up 43 percent of our public school demographic, Black, Latino and Asian male teachers only make up 8.3 percent of the entire teacher workforce. A diverse teaching force has been proven to improve academic and social outcomes for students.
“We know there is nothing more transformative in improving education outcomes than a strong, qualified and effective teacher at the head of a classroom,” stated Deputy Mayor Richard Buery.
“We need to attract and retain great teachers across the board, but it can be especially challenging when it comes to our young men of color. The supports we are putting in place will help exceptional college students and professionals come into the teaching profession and become role models and leaders in our schools. This is going to make our schools stronger and help our students achieve greater success.”
NYC Men Teach will be a three-year, $16.5 million initiative that will increase recruitment efforts, offer support for new applicants and help current teachers improve their skills.
New teachers will come through the City University of New York, the NYC Department of Education Teaching Fellows program and Teach for America. It will employ new guidance counselors, professional development grants, public advertising campaigns and certification support to increase the pipeline of qualified male teachers of color applying for teaching positions.
These initiatives aim to bring 700 qualified participants into teaching track programs by fall 2016, reaching 1,000 in programs and in the classroom by fall 2017.