Teacher recruitment program announces new efforts, event

Today”™s Students Tomorrow”™s Teachers will announce the expansion of its male teacher of color initiative into Westchester County at an event this month, which also honors supporters and celebrates the nonprofit’s 20th anniversary.

The organization will hold its annual recognition breakfast April 29 from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel in Tarrytown, NY.

TSTT, founded in 1994 and based in White Plains, is a career development model that addresses teacher shortages by recruiting culturally diverse and economically challenged high school students. Students are recruited in 9th grade and are trained throughout college. The orgnization provides them with mentorship and a scholarship to a partnering college.

Under this year”™s event theme “strengthening the vision””diversity in education,” the TSTT will discuss its mission to diversify the teaching profession and close the achievement gap, particularly amongst young African male students.

TSTT seeks to recruit a cohort of 50 minority male students throughout Westchester County, particularly African-American and Hispanic males to consider teaching as a profession. The nonprofit is currently mentoring and training 600 culturally diverse and economically challenged students in 38 high schools and 96 colleges””nearly 24 percent are male.

News 12 Anchor Brysen Van Eck will host the event which will recognize individuals and organizations that supported TSTT in the early days of its launch, such as Francie Heller, the organization”™s first funder, the Ossining Union Free School District””the organization”™s first partnering school and TSTT”™s Perkins Scholars””10-year teachers.

The event will also feature a diversity in education leadership forum prior to the awards ceremony.

More information is available on www.tstt.org.