June 20, 2022

Sachs Foundation and Teach for America Partner to Support Black Educators in Chicago

T The number of Black instructors in the United States has been declining since school desegregation, although statistics show that representation matters to kids. Black college graduates in Colorado have the potential to make a difference as educators. To curb the falling numbers and to encourage more Blacks to become educators, Sachs Foundation and Teach for America have come together to support black educators in Chicago.

To address the scarcity of Black teachers in Colorado, the organisations want to create a community of Black educators through cohort groups and augment pay.

…black teachers have to overcome so many barriers, and this partnership is the perfect step in the right direction because now we have the resources to attract and retain Black educators by addressing the two major challenges they face: lack of funding and isolation...

A Johns Hopkins study found that there is only one Black teacher in grades 3-5 raises low-income Black males' interest in college by 29% and decreases the high school dropout rate by 39%. However, there are no Black instructors in 150 of Colorado's 178 school districts.

The Sachs Foundation established its Teacher Development Program with the aim of expanding educator diversity in Colorado schools, which aligns with TFA's goal of growing teacher diversity to better represent student populations.

“Teach For America is a well-known and widely respected national organisation, so we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the TFA Colorado team,” said Ben Ralston, President, Sachs Foundation.

The Sachs Foundation has already donated $165,000 to the programme in 2022, and has said that it would continue to assist participating Black TFA Colorado instructors for the following three years.

“Black teachers have to overcome so many barriers, and this partnership is the perfect step in the right direction because now we have the resources to attract and retain Black educators by addressing the two major challenges they face: lack of funding and isolation. With Sachs Foundation, we can make a huge difference for Black teachers and students in Colorado schools.” said Dr. Prateek Dutta, the Executive Director of TFA Colorado.

Posted in Collaborations and tagged Collaborations, Chicago, Sachs Foundation, Teach for America, Black Educators, United States
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