Teaching Matters, NY Urban League and Educators4Excellence Unite for Bethune Fellowship Project

NY Urban League, Teaching Matters, and Educators4Excellence Unite for Bethune Fellowship Project; Diverse Fellows to Address Education Reform and Equity Issues

NEW YORK, April 29, 2016 -- Coming from three specific perspectives, the New York Urban League, Teaching Matters, and Educators4Excellence have joined forces to support the Bethune Fellowship Project. This opportunity for teachers and others closely connected to education will draw upon the collective strengths of the partners' civil rights, teacher practice, and advocacy work.

Over the next seven months, Bethune Fellows will meet for "boot camps" that help equip them to be effective advocates helping to improve New York school children's public education. They will be particularly concerned with equity issues.

The sixty fellows will formulate recommendations to inform policy makers, funders and school systems about opportunities to improve the performance of New York City students. A primary goal will be to explore how greater knowledge by teacher practice, advocacy and civil rights groups of each other's work can lead to greater advocacy and impact around the Common Core Standards; teaching effectiveness; personalized learning; and diversity issues.

Teaching Matters' Executive Director Lynette Guastaferro had this to say to fellows at the Fellowship's recent launch event: "We are excited that you will have this opportunity to connect with varied types of practitioners who engage in education from the lenses of of civil rights, advocacy, and classroom teaching practice. For a child to experience consistently great teaching, we need to stop relying on the myth of the singular and heroic effective teacher. Instead we must elevate the teaching profession. New roles that position teachers as leaders in their profession are necessary for sustainable improvement."

The four boot camps will address these areas: Diversity; Storytelling; Best Practice; and Leadership in Action. There will be a summary gathering in November detailing findings.

In addition to their joint projects, fellows will reap benefits that include micro-credentials recognizing new competencies in advocacy work, Bethune Teaching Fellow identification and certificate, and membership in the New York Urban League.

For additional information please contact: [email protected] or visit the New York Urban League website at www.nyul.org/what-we-do/nyul-education-programs/bethunefellows

Mary McLeod Bethune was a leading educator, policy advisor and civil rights activist. While teaching school children, Bethune founded the Daytona Normal and Industrial Institute in 1904, which later became Bethune-Cookman College. She established and was president of the National Association of Colored Women and the National Council of Negro Women. Bethune served three US presidents - Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt in the areas of child welfare, housing and minority affairs.

Teaching Matters is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing teacher effectiveness, one of the most critical factors in student success. Our services transform how educators work together at urban public schools, helping the most effective teachers develop the skills they need to lead their peers and drive school-wide improvement. We also partner with school leadership to create a work environment that equips teachers to succeed in the classroom. From nearly 20 years of working in New York City's public schools, we've developed an understanding of realistic and lasting ways to improve student outcomes, and we're committed to real, measurable results. Visit www.teachingmatters.org to learn more about how we're making a difference for students and teachers at public schools.

CONTACT: Sharon Rubinstein
         212-870-3505 ext. 8, [email protected]