The New York State Education Department (NYSED) awarded $5.4 million in My Brother’s Keeper Teacher Opportunity Corps II (TOC II) grants to four senior colleges in The City University of New York, including Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn.  The grants will increase the number of racial and ethnic minorities in teaching careers, especially in high-need school districts with teacher shortages.

MEC, Hunter College, Queens College and York College will receive a total of $1,073,597 annually over the next five years to train teachers who embody and represent the diversity of New York City. The My Brother’s Keeper Teacher Opportunity Corps II (TOC II) grants are part of a broader $17.2 million NYSED awarded to 17 New York colleges and universities, including Pace University, Bard College and Teachers College Columbia University among others.

“One of the main points of focus of the Board’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policy is to support schools in their efforts to recruit and retain a diverse workforce,” said Board of Regents Chancellor Lester W. Young, Jr. “The My Brother’s Keeper TOC II grants allow us to invest in programs that value DEI ideals and are engaged in practices that will build a pipeline for a more equitable distribution of talent in the teaching workforce.”

“These grants represent a significant investment by the New York State Education Department in CUNY and our shared commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion — both inside and outside of the classroom,” said Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “This important grant is also an investment in the future of teachers and students of New York, and one that will pay dividends down the road for all New Yorkers. We thank our partners in NYSED for their support.”