Regional Institutes Preparing 200 New Minority Teachers for Classrooms in

Rural and Urban School Districts Throughout United States

Pine Bluff, AR –  - The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) launched its Teacher Quality and Retention Program here this week with an inaugural class of 60 fellows from colleges across the country. The pre-service and aspiring teachers are completing an intensive training curriculum at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff before pursuing teaching positions in the fall in underserved school districts around the country. States represented here include Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Illinois.

The Program is the first national outreach effort designed to identify, train and mentor 10,000 minority teachers over the next five years from the 47 public Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs). Of that number, 30 percent will be science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) majors; and 40 percent will be African American males.

The Pine Bluff training institute is the first of four that TMCF will host through the end of July. The other institutes, which are also led by national board certified teachers, will be inWinston Salem, NC; Washington, DC; and Santa Clara, CA. The Santa Clara Institute will focus on STEM majors.

“Our ultimate goal is to ensure that of the 30,000 new teachers called for by the Obama administration for high need schools, a large percentage will come from the diverse training grounds of HBCUs,” said Dwayne Ashley, President and CEO of TMCF. “These institutions are uniquely positioned to drive improvements in our public education system.”

After the 200 fellows from the 2009 Institutes return to their communities, they will receive scholarships, continuing professional development through online training courses, and mentoring by seasoned educators. Their progress will be tracked by a national advisory board for the next five years as they continue their commitment to teach in public secondary schools.

Who:               Thurgood Marshall College Fund

                        60 Pre-service and aspiring teachers

What:              Teacher Quality & Retention Summer Institute

This 5-day intensive institute provides a platform to drive improvements in our public education system by training, rewarding and retaining well-qualified minority teachers.

When:             Closing Banquet & Certificate Presentation

Friday, June 12, 6- 8:00 p.m.

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Lawrence A. Davis, Jr., Chancellor, UAPB

Sen. Henry “Hank” Williams IV, Arkansas State Senate

Where:            University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

                        L.A. Davis Student Union, 1200 N. University Dive

For more information about the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, please visit us at www.thurgoodmarshallfund.org

About Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Inc.

The Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Inc., named for the late U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice, was established in 1987 and represents 47 public Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and 6 law schools located in 22 states and the US Virgin Islands with a population of over 235,000 students. Over the last 21 years, TMCF has awarded more than $100 million in leadership development, programmatic and capacity support, and scholarships enabling more than 15,000 students to attend public HBCUs. It is the only national organization of its type that provides merit-based scholarships and programmatic support to students attending the nation’s public HBCUs. TMCF also provides internship programs and joins corporate and foundation partners in providing leadership training and support to students preparing for undergraduate and professional schools. TMCF is a 501(c) (3), tax-exempt organization.