Summerbridge Breakthrough Alumni Network Inc

THE SUMMERBRIDGE BREAKTHROUGH ALUMNI NETWORK (SBAN) IS THE PARENT ORGANIZATION WITHIN WHICH TCPI AND OTHER PROGRAMS EXIST THAT ARE COMMITTED TO HAVING A POSITIVE IMPACT ON EDUCATION, YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL JUSTICE. SINCE THE FIRST SUMMERBRIDGE PROGRAM OPENED ITS DOORS IN 1978, OUR ALUMNI NETWORK HAS GROWN TO OVER 20,000 STRONG. ALTHOUGH THE ALUMNI HAVE PARTICIPATED IN SUMMERBRIDGE OR BREAKTHROUGH AT DIFFERENT SITES AND IN DIFFERENT YEARS, WE HAVE A REMARKABLY SIMILAR VIEW OF WHAT SUMMERBRIDGE SPIRIT MEANS: HIGH STANDARDS OF ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE; A BELIEF THAT YOUNG PEOPLE CAN LEAD AND SUCCEED; AND A CELEBRATION OF OUR DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS. ALL OF THIS IS NEEDED - DESPERATELY IN AMERICAS SCHOOLS. TO HELP ADDRESS THIS NEED, WE CREATED THE SBAN TEACHER OF COLOR PREP INSTITUTE (TCPI). THROUGH TCPI, WE SEEK TO GROW A TEACHER OF COLOR WORKFORCE THAT IS ROBUST, KNOWLEDGEABLE AND DIVERSE AS WELL AS DEVELOP A PROFESSIONAL PATHWAY FOR TEACHERS OF COLOR WHO WANT TO IMPROVE THEIR CRAFT AND BECOME LIFELONG EDUCATORS. ULTIMATELY, WE WILL CREATE MORE INCLUSIVE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS WHERE ALL STUDENTS RECEIVE A MULTI-ETHNIC EDUCATION. MEETING A QUOTA BY HIRING TEACHERS (OR ADMINISTRATORS) OF COLOR IS NOT ENOUGH. TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN TODAYS WORLD, SCHOOLS MUST EMBRACE THE DIVERSITY OF THEIR FAMILIES AND FACULTY, BECOMING A COMMUNITY WHERE EVERYONE FEELS COMFORTABLE, SAFE, INCLUDED, AND HAS A VOICE. THE TCPI PROGRAM CONSISTS OF THREE CRITICAL ELEMENTS: (1) RECRUITING ASPIRING TEACHERS AND PUTTING THEM THROUGH A RIGOROUS CURRICULUM THAT IS DESIGNED TO DEVELOP THEM INTO EXCEPTIONAL TEACHERS AND CHANGE AGENTS, (2) PARTNERING WITH SCHOOLS TO NOT ONLY CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR GRADUATES BUT ALSO TO HELP THOSE SCHOOLS BECOME MORE INCLUSIVE, AND (3) SUPPORTING THESE TEACHERS AS THEY BECOME AN ESTABLISHED AND INTEGRAL PART OF THE SCHOOLS, THUS RESULTING IN GREATER RETENTION. FOR THE TEACHERSTCPI IS A TUITION-FREE, ONE-YEAR PROGRAM THAT IS FOLLOWED BY TWO YEARS OF ONGOING SUPPORT ONCE A TEACHER IS PLACED IN A TEACHING OR ADMINISTRATIVE JOB. MOST OF OUR PARTICIPANTS ARE COLLEGE SENIORS, RECENT COLLEGE GRADUATES, OR GRADUATE STUDENTS INTERESTED IN PURSUING A CAREER IN INDEPENDENT OR CHARTER SCHOOL EDUCATION. WE HAVE RECENTLY IDENTIFIED ANOTHER NEED: FORMER MILITARY PERSONNEL WHO ARE INTERESTED IN A TEACHING CAREER. IN MANY CASES, OUR PARTICIPANTS ARE CURRENT TEACHERS WHO HAVE NOT GONE THROUGH OUR TRAINING BUT WANT TO IMPROVE THEIR SKILL SET. OUR CLASSES ARE HELD ON WEEKENDS AND ARE SUPPLEMENTED BY ONLINE PRESENTATIONS AND VISITS TO AREA SCHOOLS FOR CLASSROOM OBSERVATION, SHADOWING OF TEACHERS AND EXPOSURE TO OUR PARTNER SCHOOLS. THE EXCEPTIONAL TEACHER MODULE OF THE TCPI CURRICULUM INCLUDES CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT, PEDAGOGY, DIFFERENTIATED LEARNING AND TEACHING STYLES AND THE EXPANDING ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY. WE ALSO PROVIDE TOOLS OUR PARTICIPANTS WILL NEED TO NAVIGATE THE INDEPENDENT AND CHARTER SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT, INCLUDING INTERVIEW PROCESS TRAINING, PERSONAL MENTORING, AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT WILL HELP OPEN DOORS WITH POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS. THE CHANGE AGENT MODULE OF THE TCPI CURRICULUM ALLOWS OUR PARTICIPANTS TO EXPLORE THE VARIOUS CHALLENGES THAT EXIST IN OUR PARTNER SCHOOLS IN AREAS INCLUDING INCLUSIVITY, DIVERSITY AND SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATING DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS. AS GRADUATES, THESE ASPIRING EDUCATORS ARE IN THE UNIQUE POSITION TO STRENGTHEN INDEPENDENT AND CHARTER SCHOOLS THROUGH GREATER INSIGHT INTO THE SCIENCE AND ART OF TEACHING AND A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE NUANCES ASSOCIATED WITH BEING A PERSON OF COLOR IN EDUCATION. EACH MODULE IS TAUGHT USING A COHORT MODEL WHICH PROVIDES COHESIVENESS, CONTINUITY AND A SENSE OF COMMUNITY. WITH ITS EMPHASIS ON COOPERATIVE GROUPS, INDIVIDUAL LEARNING AND PROJECT-BASED LEARNING, THE COHORT FORMAT DRAWS ON THE PARTICIPANTS COMMON SCHOOL AND WORK EXPERIENCES AND INTERESTS. AS THE PARTICIPANTS PROCEED THROUGH EACH MODULE, THEY WILL BUILD ON SHARED ACADEMIC EXPERIENCES, LEADING TO A REWARDING AND MORE SUCCESSFUL TCPI EXPERIENCE.TCPI PROVIDES FUNDING FOR PARTICIPANTS TO VISIT TCPI SCHOOLS AND GET THE VITAL EXPOSURE THEY NEED TO INDEPENDENT AND CHARTER SCHOOLS. PARTICIPANTS WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO TAKE PART IN THE SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS (SAIS) NEW TEACHER INSTITUTE, AN ACCREDITED WEEK-LONG PROGRAM WHICH PREPARES ALL NEW TEACHERS OF ANY ETHNICITY FOR A SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION INTO THE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL SYSTEM. ENROLLMENT IN TCPI ALSO INCLUDES TRAVEL EXPENSES TO SCHOOLS AND TRAINING PROGRAMS, ALL NECESSARY MATERIALS, AND ACCESS TO THE TCPI WEBSITE WHERE PARTICIPANTS CAN SHARE RESOURCES WITH OTHER TCPI MEMBERS AND FACULTY ACROSS THE NATION.FOR THE SCHOOLSFOR A ONE-TIME FEE AND A DEMONSTRATED COMMITMENT TO BECOMING A MORE INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT, SCHOOLS CAN JOIN TCPI AND BECOME TCPI PARTNER SCHOOLS. OUR TCPI PARTNER SCHOOLS NOT ONLY HAVE ACCESS TO OUR TALENTED POOL OF TEACHERS OF COLOR; MOREOVER, THEY KNOW THAT TCPI WILL SUPPORT ANY NEW HIRE FOR TWO YEARS. TEACHERS STAY ENGAGED WITH THE INSTITUTE THROUGH SCHOOL VISITS BY TCPI LEADERSHIP, REGIONAL WORKSHOPS, AN ANNUAL RETREAT, AND CONTINUED ACCESS TO THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE THROUGH THE TCPI WEBSITE. THE SUSTAINED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TCPI, THE PARTNER SCHOOL, AND THE ESTABLISHED EDUCATOR ENSURES THAT AN INCLUSIVE, EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT IS DEVELOPED, CULTIVATED, AND MAINTAINED.FOR THE STUDENTS AND PARENTS A MORE INCLUSIVE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT HAS A DIRECT IMPACT ON THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS OF COLOR WHO APPLY TO AND ENROLL IN OUR PARTNER SCHOOLS. THE LEVEL OF SATISFACTION AMONG PARENTS IS ALSO INCREASED, AND THE CHANCES OF THEIR CHILD(REN) STAYING IN SCHOOL AND GRADUATING IS MUCH HIGHER. TO OFFER SUPPORT FOR PARENTS OF COLOR AND ADDRESS THEIR UNIQUE CONCERNS, TCPI INCLUDES A PARENTS OF COLOR CONFERENCE. HERE, PARENTS OF COLOR FROM ANY NUMBER OF SCHOOLS CAN MEET, VOICE THEIR CONCERNS AND BUILD A NETWORK OF SUPPORT.