WASHINGTON, D.C. – Thurgood Marshall College Fund is hosting its highly-acclaimed Teachers, Quality & Retention Program (TQRP) in Washington, D.C. from Monday, July 10 through Wednesday, July 19, 2023, at the Fairmont Hotel.
TQRP is a five-year fellowship that develops new and aspiring educators in high-need urban and rural communities. TQRP fellows have access to year-round professional development virtually and in person that commences with a robust 10-day summer institute for new and returning TQRP fellows with thought-provoking, interactive sessions to learn how to educate the whole child in an engaging, rigorous, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed manner.
One of the many highlights from this year’s TQRP Institute will occur on Monday, July 17 when the TQRP fellows will participate in a practicum at John Hayden Johnson Middle School, District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and participate in a Fireside chat with Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona on Wednesday, July 19.
This year’s theme is “If not us, then who?”
The 2023 TQRP cohort features over 80 new and aspiring black teachers, 33 percent of which are black males, representing over 60 cities, and 25 HBCUs, with an average GPA of 3.6. This includes undergraduate students from HBCUs who are preparing to teach in K-12, in-service K-12 teachers who graduated from an HBCU and are in their first three years of teaching, and Black male K-12 teachers in their first five years of teaching.
TQRP’s focus is for the fellows to become certified teachers, to be prepared to become nationally board-certified when eligible, and to successfully complete the first three years in the classroom.
From its first Summer Institute in 2009, TQRP has provided high-caliber training and mentoring to aspiring, pre-service and new teachers from publicly-supported HBCUs and PBIs across the country.
The result of lessons learned from a 2006 Gates School Reform grant, TQRP has emerged into a robust, research-based program that has impacted over 600 program fellows over the last ten years across 20 states and 45 TMCF member schools.
Implementing the TQRP program is one way that TMCF has done a quality job of addressing the nation’s teacher shortage and increasing the number of minority instructors in the classroom. One of the goals of TQRP is to create a more equitable world by providing high-quality pre-service training and personalized support once teachers enter the classroom.
The impact of TMCF’s TQRP program has been significant and necessary.
Fellows are granted enough resources and training to become effective educators for their communities. Fellows are taught to learn about their students and culture so that they intentionally and compassionately connect with them. In addition to fostering positive relationships with students and helping them to make learning gains, TQRP fellows were also able to utilize digital platforms to make STEM lessons more engaging and authentic for their students.
TQRP is one of many ways that TMCF is making a difference in helping to increase the number of minority teachers.
