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.
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