New Program ‘One Soul’ to Address Philly’s Black Male Teacher Shortage

People Studying Knowledge In Classroom Indoors

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Philadelphia Academies Inc. is teaming up with Parkway West High School in West Philadelphia to launch a program in efforts to develop more Black male educators in the community.

The program, called One Soul, is funded by a $400,000 state grant and it is focused on expanding early childhood education pre-apprenticeship.

The funding is part of a $3.9 million investment in pre-apprenticeship opportunities for Pennsylvania high school students.

What is a Pre-Apprenticeship?

Pre-Apprenticeship is a program or set of strategies that is designed to prepare individuals with the skills and knowledge required to enter and succeed in a Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP).

So far, eleven students from Parkway West have committed to being in the inaugural cohort of the program.

“This investment in our expanded Early Childhood Education program demonstrates that pre-apprenticeships can be more than just a stepping stone,” Philadelphia Academies Inc. (PAI) President and CEO F. Christopher Goins said.

“We are building a future where aspiring Black educators not only see themselves in the classroom, but are empowered to lead, inspire, and shape the next generation of students with confidence and purpose.”

The new pilot program will be in addition to the early childhood career and technical program that Parkway West offers.

“Through this class, we want to teach them pedagogy and the history of education in the U.S.,” said Parkway West Principal Will Brown. “We want to be able to look at current issues in education and help them develop a plan to solve those issues.

“We will also be looking at different career paths in education and how to help them obtain a career in education at low cost or for free.”

Tony Watlington Sr., Superintendent of the Philadelphia School District, said it’s imperative that the staffing of our schools reflect the demographic in the city, as it will create long-term student academic success.

“We want our teaching force to look more like the city of Philadelphia,” Watlington said. “This is not about quotas, it’s about representation.

“We have an under-representation of teachers of color and the most underrepresented are African American and Latino men,” he said. “Our kids can’t be what they can’t see. All kids benefit when we diversify the teacher pipeline.”

To learn more about ‘One Soul’ and to be apart of the program [CLICK HERE]

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