John,

Stories, studies, and student experience all show the immense impact that having a Black teacher has on the lives of Black students and all students—and yet, only 7 percent of teachers in U.S. public schools are Black. I’m thrilled to announce a brand new partnership between the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) Freedom Schools® program and Teach for America’s (TFA) Black Educators Promise Initiative that’s seeking to change that.

Our new program, the Ella Baker Child Policy Training Institute Professional Development Seminar, will bring the CDF Freedom Schools model of high-quality, culturally relevant, and literacy-rich curriculum and pedagogy to Black educators in the American South. This pilot program will not only attract Black educators to the teaching profession, but also ensure they have the support they need to sustain and advance their careers. Through a year-long course taught by CDF Freedom Schools Ella Baker Trainers, we’ll help cultivate exceptional educators who will drive change for educational equity and inspire the next generation of Black youth.

I’m thrilled to lead this initiative and can’t wait to introduce you to some of the first class of TFA Black Educators Promise fellows who will help us shape this and future initiatives to support PK-12 teachers. Learn more today and join us as we take this exciting next step in a long history of Black teaching for liberation.

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