Call Me MISTER

Teaching is one of the most important jobs on Earth and it's in dire need of added involvement by African-American males. So if you know of any young African-American males in search of a fulfilling career, point them in the direction of the MISTER program.

From MSNBC...

Only about 2 percent of teachers nationwide are African-American men. But experts say that needs to change if educators expect to reduce minority achievement gaps and dropout rates. American teachers are overwhelmingly white (87 percent) and female (77 percent), despite minority student populations of about 44 percent.

Yet increasing the number of minority teachers is important because of "the role model factor," said Greg Johnson, a policy analyst for the NEA. "These students need to see successful adults of color in front of them," Johnson said.

The Call Me MISTER (Mentors Instructing Students Toward Effective Role Models) teaching program is designed to put more minority men at the head of the classroom by offering scholarships in exchange for teaching in public schools.

250 future teachers are in the MISTER pipeline, scattered across 28 colleges in seven states. To improve the national percentage of black male teachers to even 3 percent, another 45,000 would need to enroll.