Free tuition for the Master of Education program is being offered by Virginia State University (VSU), provided that the student agrees to teach in either Richmond or Petersburg after graduation.
“In the new residency program, students will earn a Master of Education within one year, while gaining real-world experience in a classroom under the supervision of a master’s teacher,” a Virginia State spokesperson wrote in an email. “Once the student earns the degree, they must commit to a full-time teaching position with their residency school division for an additional three years.”
Costs are being covered by a Virginia Department of Education grant. “The primary goal of the program is to increase the number of highly qualified teachers of color—particularly males of color,” the email continued. “In addition to addressing the critical teacher shortage in Richmond and Petersburg—the program will provide Pre K-12 classrooms with culturally and linguistically diverse teachers.”
Black teachers make up 7% of all U.S. educators, according to a study by the Pew Research Center. There are less than 2% Black males working in education.
According to research done by the National Bureau of Economic Research, having a black teacher in elementary school increases the likelihood that a kid will enroll in postsecondary education by 13 percent. According to the same research, 32% more African American primary school kids are likely to continue on to higher education. Students from all backgrounds benefit from having a black teacher in the classroom from an early age, according to research.
