Supporting the Teachers Quality and Retention Program (TQRP) is one way that Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) has done a quality job of addressing the nation’s teacher shortage and increasing the number of minority instructors in the classroom. TQRP focuses on creating a more equitable world by offering high-quality pre-service training and personalized support once teachers enter the classroom.
More importantly, TQRP is answering the nation’s teacher shortage of Black males in the classroom. The 2023 TQRP summer institute, held July 10-20, in Washington, D.C., was a platform for aspiring African American male educators to learn from, support, and share experiences with peers and experienced faculty. The theme was “If not us, then who?”
Today, only seven percent of public-school teachers are Black, and two percent of public school teachers in the U.S. are Black males.
In 2023, TQRP summer institute welcomed 80 new and aspiring black educators representing over 60 cities and 25 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with an average GPA of 3.6. Significantly, approximately 30 percent of the cohort were Black males in education. TQRP also recruits STEM majors and provides training and support to increase the population of minority STEM teachers in high-need schools.
“TQRP has helped me become more prepared coming into the classroom as a teacher,” said Torres Eskew, a Wiley College graduate and current TQRP fellow who participated in the 2023 cohort and teaches in the Pine Bluff School District. “TQRP prepared me for real-life problem-solving strategies, how to interact with administration, and lead with love.”
As a result of lessons learned from a 2006 Gates School Reform grant and the Teacher Prep Program Pilot in 2008, TQRP has emerged as a robust, research-based program that has impacted over 30,000 students and 600 Black educators over the last 15 years. Its substantial impact underscores its tagline: “We’re more than a program; we’re a movement!”
Applications for this year’s TQRP and numerous other TMCF scholarships opened on Tuesday, Jan. 16. Interested students can CLICK HERE to learn more and apply.