SUNY Empire Receives My Brother’s Keeper Teacher Opportunity Corps (TOC) II Grant

(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – JULY 25, 2023) Empire State University was awarded a My Brother’s Keeper Teacher Opportunity Corps (TOC) II grant from the New York State Education Department (NYSED). Created to support the increasing rates of historically underrepresented and economically disadvantaged individuals in teaching careers, this grant also addresses the current teacher shortages in New York State.

With the grant, eligible employees who work in the Schenectady City School District and the City School District of Albany will be able to pursue a teaching degree at SUNY Empire.

“The grant requires TOC II programs to partner with districts serving a student population of at least 50% of one or a combination of historically underrepresented and underserved in the teaching profession and those economically disadvantaged,” said Dana Brown, senior director of enrichment and opportunity programs.

Brown chose to appeal to the workforce in these districts — a population SUNY Empire excels in serving. “We want to recruit current employees at the respective districts who want to become teachers — individuals in positions like hall monitor, substitute teacher, teaching assistant, and more,” Brown said. “They’re employees of the district that clearly have a vested interest in the students and the community.”

With SUNY Empire’s affordable, high-quality, and flexible undergraduate and graduate degree options, students will have the option to choose a program pathway that best suits their needs.

The grant will allow students to follow one of three pathways leading to teacher certification. The combined program is for those starting at the undergraduate level. The clinically rich pathway is great for professionals already in the classroom, and the Transitional B pathway allows students to become the teacher of record during their program.

The opportunity will allow for mentorship and culturally relevant curriculum enrichment through the grant, ensuring a lasting and positive effect on classroom performance and a deeper understanding of the population they’re serving. The grant also provides students with financial assistance once they start their graduate teaching coursework. Other components include but are not limited to field experiences built in before a student completes their residency, which would be fulfilled by working with partnerships established by SUNY Empire with local community groups.

“The field experience will give program participants the preliminary opportunity to work with the population that they'll interact with as a teacher,” Brown said. “It will get them acclimated and working one-on-one with students outside the classroom environment.”

Brown, along with Tara Pepis, assistant dean for accreditation, licensure and partnerships, Tina Wagle, professor and chair of the education division in the School for Graduate Studies, and Rebecca Sanborn, clinical experiences coordinator, wrote the grant.

The grant program runs through 2028 and will support up to 20 students at a time. Empire State University is currently working with the New York State Education Department with the goal of formally launching the program on September 1, 2023.

For more information on My Brother’s Keeper Teacher Opportunity Corps, visit: https://www.nysed.gov/mbk/my-brothers-keeper-teacher-opportunity-corps-ii