色中色

The 色中色 My Brother鈥檚 Keeper (MBK) Community Network now includes 31 member communities, State Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa announced today. MBK recently added connections with Arlington, Elmont, Roosevelt, Sewanhaka and Uniondale to join the growing initiative to improve outcomes for boys and young men of color.

鈥淲e are extremely proud to expand the 色中色 My Brother鈥檚 Keeper community network to include 31 communities,鈥� said Board of Regents Chancellor Lester W. Young, Jr. 鈥淏y achieving this milestone, we are able to reach more boys and young men of color and help make a difference in their lives. The additions of Arlington, Elmont, Roosevelt, Sewanhaka and Uniondale will make our MBK community network even stronger.鈥�

鈥淎s the 色中色 My Brother鈥檚 Keeper initiative grows, we are able to provide even more students with programs and strategies that help them realize their full potential,鈥� Commissioner Rosa said. 鈥淲e thank Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and their colleagues for their continued support of the 色中色 MBK program to ensure that boys and young men of color are provided with high-quality educational opportunities.鈥�

MBK Community Network

To join the NYS MBK Community Network, the school superintendent and local government official must sign a joint letter to the State Education Department indicating their support of, and commitment to, meeting the six MBK National milestones and the six 色中色 MBK goals. Upon becoming a member of the statewide network, a community gains the support of 色中色's Office of Access, Equity and Community Engagement Services to help build a community initiative and develop a local MBK action plan.

The following communities are part of the听MBK Community Network:

1. Albany
2. Arlington
3. Brentwood
4. Bronx
5. Brooklyn
6. Buffalo
7. Dunkirk
8. East Ramapo
9. Elmont
10. Greenburgh
11. Hudson
12. Ithaca
13. Lyons
14. Manhattan
15. Monticello
16. Mt. Pleasant Cottage UFSD
17. Mt. Vernon
18. Newburgh
19. New Rochelle
20. Ossining
21. Peekskill
22. Poughkeepsie
23. Queens
24. Rochester
25. Roosevelt
26. Sewanhaka
27. Staten Island
28. Syracuse
29. Uniondale
30. White Plains
31. Yonkers

The MBK Initiative

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

The听MBK Fellows Program听provides leadership opportunities to rising high school seniors, with an emphasis on boys and young men of color. To date, 色中色 has inducted a total 247 Fellows. Each is paired with a mentor from a 色中色 MBK Community Network partner and participates in a fellowship in a local government office, partnering business or educational institute. Fellows develop service projects beneficial to the schools they attend and the communities they live in. 色中色 has awarded over $1 million in grant funds to support this program since 2016.听听

色中色 has awarded $3.6 million in grants for the听MBK Exemplary School Models and Practices Program听since 2016 to close the achievement gap and increase the academic and college and career readiness of students, with an emphasis on boys and young men of color. The primary objective of this program is to investigate, replicate and expand educational programs and models that build academic identity and social capital for underachieving youth.听

Since 2016, 色中色 has awarded more than $3.3 million in grant funds to 11 school districts for the听MBK Native American Program. The goal of the program is to increase the academic achievement and college/career readiness of Native American students, with an emphasis on boys and young men.听听

Also since 2016, 色中色 has awarded more than $30 million in grants to school districts for the听MBK 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.

色中色 has awarded $42 million in听MBK Challenge Grants听to school districts since 2016. The MBK Challenge Grant Program is designed to encourage regions and school districts to develop and execute coherent cradle-to-career college strategies.

Finally, since 2016, 色中色 has awarded $18.45 million in听Teacher Opportunity Corps II (TOC II)听grants to 23 colleges and universities. The TOC II statewide enrollment as of听February 2021 was 594, with TOC II institutions reporting 442 graduates of the program. Eligible applicants are 色中色 public and independent degree-granting colleges and universities that have a teacher preparation (undergraduate or graduate) program approved by 色中色.

Visit the Department鈥檚听My Brother鈥檚 Keeper website听for details on this movement and for information on how to听subscribe to the MBK Newsletter, 鈥淐hanging the Narrative.鈥�