Timeline

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Increasing teacher diversity and fostering success in future early childhood educators through mentorship, support, and opportunity.

One factor shown repeatedly to be effective in supporting Black students in school is the presence of Black teachers in the classroom (Scott, 2016; Vilson, 2015; Goings & Bianco, 2016). Research has shown that specifically Black male teachers in the classroom are a benefit to Black students (Milner, 2006; Ferlazzo, 2018; Anderson, 2015; Brown, 2009; Lynn, 2006). In light of this evidence, My Brother’s Teacher (MBT) sets out to help increase the number of teachers of color in the classroom through an innovative fellowship program.

MBT seeks to diversify the early learning workforce by recruiting male high school students of color to complete service learning hours and summer internships in Seattle’s early learning programs. Programming will provide a supported path to and through college for MBT Fellows to pursue careers in education.

With the University of Washington, Seattle Preschool Program (SPP), Seattle Public Schools, and Seattle Colleges collectively working together, MBT is a program that will have an immediate impact in early childhood education. MBT offers early childhood education training, mentoring, and scholarships so that MBT Fellows will become credentialed early learning teachers. Funding will be provided by the Seattle Promise Program and Seattle’s Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise (FEPP) Levy.

For more information about MBT, email us at MBTSea@uw.edu.

College and University Components

Seattle Central College

During Phase Two, MBT Fellows will continue to receive mentoring support and will begin getting college coursework advisement by an assigned college counselor. Fellows will be required to:

Maintain a 2.5 GPA.
Follow the required course sequence to obtain admittance into the University of Washington (UW).
Fulfill the elective requirement by selecting courses of their choice with advisement.

University of Washington

During Phase Three, MBT Fellows will begin their Bachelor of Arts in Early Care & Education coursework at the University of Washington on a part-time or full-time basis. Though the Bachelors program is fully online, MBT Fellows will receive a hybrid version in which they will also receive one-on-one support from UW faculty to cover coursework. Fellows will also be assigned a college faculty advisor, and continue to receive outside mentoring support. Fellows will be required to:

Maintain a 2.5 GPA.
Follow the coursework sequence to successfully finish their bachelor degrees.

MBT is funded by the Seattle Promise Program and the Seattle’s Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise (FEPP) Levy.

Mentorship Component

Mentorship will be provided to MBT Fellows by the Zeta Pi Lambda chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated and the Zeta Upsilon Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated. Mentors will provide Fellows with an experience that will enrich their trajectory in life.

Fellows will be immersed in conversations about life experiences, the importance of maintaining their mental health, cultural awareness, leadership, job professionalism, and the importance of community service. Fellows will be required to: