AS OF 2006, 90% OF PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS WERE white and nearly 40% of public schools had no teachers of color on staff according to the National Education Association. In response to these statistics, the Siemens Foundation, the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund, and the United Negro College Fund have come together for the first time to address the low numbers of African Americans in math and science education.
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The SiemensTeacher Scholarship represents $1 million in funding and a five-year commitment to provide scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students at historically black colleges and universities. Heading into its fourth year, the program has awarded 120 scholarships so far. “One of the greatest challenges faced by teachers today is accelerating the achievement rate across racial, gender, ability, and socioeconomic divides,†says Jerib A. Carson, a senior at Medgar Evers College and 2008 recipient of the Siemens Foundation Teacher Scholarship.
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The scholarship is open to college juniors and seniors at HBCUs in the following majors: education, one of the sciences, technology, engineering, or mathematics. They must also have a desire to teach after graduation, a minimum 2.5 grade point average, and demonstrated financial need. For information on the Siemens Foundation Teacher Scholarship, please visit www.siemens-foundation.org or call 877-822-5233.