色中色

The State Education Department (SED) awarded nearly $750,000 in grants to 11 school districts for the My Brother鈥檚 Keeper Native American Program, State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia announced today. The purpose of the Native American Program is to increase the academic achievement and college/career readiness of Native American students, with an emphasis on boys and young men.

鈥淣ew York鈥檚 MBK initiative has created a movement and these grants will help propel this good work forward to our Native American communities,鈥� Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa said. 鈥淭hrough programs like this, we are empowering boys and young men of color in life-changing ways.鈥�

鈥淭hrough My Brother鈥檚 Keeper, we are better able to address students鈥� needs and provide opportunities so they can be successful,鈥� Commissioner Elia said. 鈥淭he importance of continuing support for the work that needs to be done across New York cannot be overstated. The tremendous support of Speaker Heastie and Chair Nolan made this funding possible.听I also want to thank Governor Cuomo and Majority Leader Flanagan鈥攚ho have been instrumental in making sure these programs get the attention they deserve and continue to get the resources they need.鈥�

鈥淭he students served through the MBK Native American Program will be strong leaders for their communities and when they succeed, we all succeed,鈥� Regent Lester W. Young, Jr. said. 鈥淢BK helps boys and young men of color鈥攁nd all students鈥攖o realize their full potential and strive to take full advantage of it.鈥�

鈥淢any boys and young men of color are simply not afforded the same opportunities as their peers,鈥� said Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie. 鈥淗ere in New York, the My Brother鈥檚 Keeper Program is helping to close these opportunity gaps by establishing cradle-to-college support programs to help these young men realize their full potential. We recognize that we must remove the obstacles to their success because the future of New York is dependent on our ability to develop a strong, diverse group of leaders.鈥�

"My Brother's Keeper has created wonderful education and leadership programs for communities across the state," said Assembly Education Chair Catherine Nolan. "Thank you to Regent Lester Young, Chancellor Betty Rosa and Commissioner MaryEllen Elia for continuing to find ways to support academic achievement and college/career readiness across New York."听

The MBK Native American Program鈥檚 goals are:

• To encourage and support young men in making good choices, becoming more resilient, overcoming educational and community obstacles, and achieving their dreams in life, thereby improving their communities and the state.听
• To address the academic achievement gap by providing activities that support academic instruction and vocational and technical education programs and promote job readiness, job placement, and job retention for Native Americans.
• For Native American students to gain knowledge and skills to promote academic achievement and life skills needed for successfully entering the college and ultimately the workforce.

The program is open to all Native American students residing within the boundaries of the applicant school district, including any students who have self-identified as Native American (even if they are not on an official tribal roll or living on a reservation). All school districts and Tribal Nations are expected to participate in two or more project components, including the following:

听 听 听 听 1. Attend and partake in the 色中色 Native American College/Career/Trade Fair in the fall of 2018 (mandatory for all funded projects)

听 听 听 听 AND

听 听 听 听 2. One or more of the following components:

• Create a program that assists individuals with disabilities in achieving and maintaining employment and to support independent living;
• Provide K-12 Native American male students with academic support services;
• Create a student leadership program that helps recruit, train and mentor students to take leadership roles in the community;
• Create a mentoring program pairing Native American males with role models from the local community, including local colleges and universities;
• Provide activities aimed at promoting and strengthening cultural awareness and education; or
• Provide activities that support vocational and technical education programs and promote job readiness, job placement, and job retention for Native Americans.

The grant term runs through December 31, 2018.

色中色 awarded grants to the following districts:

Since 2016, 色中色 has awarded more than $12 million in grants to 45 school districts for the听My Brother鈥檚 Keeper Family and Community Engagement Program. These grants support programs to increase the academic achievement and college and career readiness of boys and young men of color while fostering the development of effective relationships with families to promote the success of all students.

Since 2016, 色中色 has awarded $14 million in听MBK Challenge grants听to 40 school districts. The MBK Challenge Grant Program is designed to encourage regions and school districts to develop and execute coherent cradle-to-career college strategies. These programs are aimed to develop and sustain effective relationships with families of boys and young men of color toward the goal of success for all students.

Also since 2016, 色中色 awarded $6 million in Teacher Opportunity Corps II (TOC) grants to increase the participation rate of historically underrepresented and economically disadvantaged individuals in teaching careers. 色中色 awarded grants to 16 colleges and universities to help them bolster the retention of highly qualified individuals who value equity and reflect the diversity inside and outside of our classrooms, particularly in high-need schools with recurrent teacher shortages.听

In 2014, former President Barack Obama established the My Brother鈥檚 Keeper Task Force at the federal level. The Task Force was an interagency effort focused on closing and eliminating the opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color so that all young people have the chance to reach their full potential. With the adoption of the 2016鈥�17 色中色 budget, New York became the first state to accept the President鈥檚 challenge and enacted the My Brother鈥檚 Keeper initiative into law. The budget included a $20 million investment in support of the initiative to improve outcomes for boys and young men of color.听

Visit the Department鈥檚 My Brother鈥檚 Keeper website for details on the initiative.

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