New program with Pittsburgh Promise working to send future teachers to college tuition free

PITTSBURGH — Pictures of students line the wall at Pittsburgh Promise. The group is paying up to $20,000 in scholarships for Pittsburgh Public Schools students who have a 2.6 grade point average or higher to attend a college or university in Pennsylvania.

Janay Coleman, a former student and now employee with the group, is working with a new program: a scholarship aimed to get more teachers of color in Pittsburgh schools by sending them to a college or university tuition free.

“They would receive a full ride to attend any Promise-eligible school in the state of Pennsylvania. And this, if they are studying education with the intention of becoming a teacher specifically, we want to encourage them to teach in Pittsburgh Public Schools,” Coleman said.

Why does the race of a teacher matter?

“Studies show that having at least one Black teacher makes a huge impact with decreasing high drop out rates,” Coleman said.

The majority of students at Pittsburgh Public Schools is of color while the majority of teachers are not.

Local push to include diversity among teachers in Pennsylvania

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