Salem State Looks To Improve Educator Diversity On North Shore

SALEM, MA — Salem State University will use a $100,000 grant to fund a program designed to bring more diversity to the early education pipeline in North Shore districts such as Salem, Chelsea, Lynn and Revere.

The Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation provided the grant to launch the Educator-Scholars of Color pilot program. Over the next two years, diverse students majoring in early childhood and elementary education will be invited into supportive cohorts that promote building community and break down racial and socioeconomic barriers to higher education.

The school said the program will focus on increasing the "racial and ethnic diversity in the teacher pipeline, initially focusing on the Gateway Cities of Salem, Lynn, Chelsea and Revere, where Salem State School of Education graduates often serve as teachers and where white educators far outnumber educators of color.

"The School of Education has made it a priority to diversify our own faculty and staff members and prepare them to train our students in a culturally responsive way," Joseph Cambone, Dean of the School of Education, said. "With Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation's generosity, we're continuing this work to give today's Salem State education students of color equitable access to obtain their degrees so that they may teach and inspire children across the region."

Students are also eligible for monetary awards that will help them complete the state's educational requirements.

"Individuals preparing to become educators face many out-of-pocket costs — including unpaid work as student-teachers and fees," said Salem State University’s School of Education Associate Dean Nicole Harris. "The new Educator-Scholars of Color program alleviates the financial burdens of these requirements and supports our students so that they are well-prepared to excel not only on their tests, but also within the early childhood and elementary school classroom settings where they practice their teaching skills."

The school said the hope is to expand the program to include all education students, but at the outset will focus on early childhood education.

"This legacy began when Charlotte Forten became the school’s first African American graduate in 1856 and the first African American public school teacher in Salem in 1857," Cheryl Crounse, executive director of the Salem State University Foundation, said. "As we reflect on how we can all better support students, faculty, and staff of color, the Salem State community keeps Ms. Forten's spirit alive with the new Educator-Scholars of Color program.

"We appreciate Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation's unwavering support of our mission to make a quality, affordable education accessible to everyone."

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)