Our Journey

By 2029, Young Inventors is committed to preparing over 5,000 pre-service and in-service elementary teachers, with a focus on districts with predominantly minority student populations, to create joyful and inquiry-led learning environments in STEM. Through our innovative instructional resources and professional learning programs, we will support educators, particularly those with limited experience in STEM, to deliver rigorous learning sequences that are made accessible and engaging through visuals and multimedia supports. Central to our commitment is the expansion of partnerships with local and state-level grow-your-own teaching apprenticeship programs. This initiative will provide aspiring teachers from minority communities with early pre-service training and hands-on STEM teaching experiences. In parallel, we are working to support school districts across the country to bolster elementary STEM instruction by providing supports to in-service teachers, designed to develop their facilitation skills and confidence in STEM teaching and learning.

Learners Edge is committed to providing educators with research-based applicable science, technology, and math professional learning. Over the next 5 years, we commit to supporting 350+ educators across the country to better understand the critical impact of exclusion on students from Black, Latinx and Native American populations and with intersectional identities through two initiatives:
1) revising existing graduate-level continuing education courses and supplemental content to facilitate the development of educator skills and mindsets that cultivate belonging in STEM classes

2) developing new graduate-level coursework and supplemental content that engages educators in critical reflection, strategy implementation, and advocacy that improves learning experiences for Black, Latinx and Native American students

We’ll use our research-based professional learning model to facilitate this important work and measure impact through self-reported shifts in teacher practice— new knowledge acquisition, increase in confidence, and frequency of strategy implementation– as well as student-reported impact on belonging in STEM learning.

Over the next decade, Learning Blade will introduce over 200,000 underserved students to STEM and computer science career pathways, expanding their interest and awareness of the opportunities in the real world to ensure that all students see themselves in STEM and CS. STEM Career Awareness shows students how STEM careers can help people, support students to find their path and develop a sense of purpose. Learning Blade supports teachers with resources that develop students’ interest and engagement in the STEM/CS workforce, specifically for underserved students. By providing teachers access to high-quality career exploration and project-based learning, we help expand students’ sense of belonging in the STEM/CS workforce. Our teacher professional development and student learning experiences focus on making sure ALL students see themselves in STEM/CS.

Learning Blade will support communities of teachers by training over 3,000 teachers with the knowledge and resources to help expand student participation in STEM and computer science over the next five years. We commit to providing high-quality professional development (PD) that focuses specifically on best practices of career exploration and its impact on building more racially diverse participation in STEM. Learning Blade professional development (PD) is accredited by CSTA and accepted by states for PD credit. Learning Blade shows educators how to integrate career exploration resources across the disciplinary silos and highlights the best practice of using cross-disciplinary standards to connect career exploration to real-world problem-solving scenarios.

Lehman College CUNY Department of Middle and High School Education commits to prepare Black and Latinx teachers to foster belonging in their STEM classrooms: Over the next 5 years we will continue and expand on our certifications and scholarship programs to encourage students to explore instructional practices grounded in equity in the classroom. Specifically, we are implementing a dual certification that will allow students to focus on special education as well as an area of content expertise such as math or science. Additionally, we will continue LUTE STEM a year-long scholarship program that serves as extended student/teacher training for pre-service teachers. While in the program students receive equity training and learn liberatory design and restorative justice practices. We will also continue our Human Rights and Transformative Justice certification that provides teachers with tools to utilize equity and social emotional learning. Finally, we will continue to share the teaching of universal design learning strategies and culturally relevant pedagogy to our students through seminars that foster discourse on these topics.

Commitment Statement Coming Soon

Loyola Marymount University is committed to recruiting, retaining and supporting BIPOC educators in California to ensure that students in LA and across the state have educators who reflect their identity. LMU is working with the Consortium of Charter Schools in LA to build a residency pathway focused on diversifying the educator workforce in LA and hopes to recruit and retain 90 residents by 2027 that primarily serve the BIPOC communities of LA and primarily identify as BIPOC educators.  In addition, LMU is working with Teach For America- Los Angeles as a certification partner to certify educators in high-need placements like STEM.  This partnership has emphasized recruiting BIPOC STEM educators to serve in high-need LA schools. LMU is committed to providing $5 million in scholarship by 2027 support to ensure that certification is a realistic option for educators who are coming from low-income backgrounds supporting both teacher recruitment and retention in LA.  Lastly, recognizing the critical role that education leaders play in fostering student and educator belonging for educators and students of color, LMU has built a partnership with the Diversity in Leadership Institute (DLI) to recruit 180 education leaders by 2027, 100% of whom identify as people of color and to provide supports to these exceptional leaders to foster environments of belonging in the schools and systems they lead both for BIPOC students and BIPOC educators in their school and district communities.

“We commit to increase the number of STEM teachers that complete our program, preparing 150 STEM teachers over the next 5 years by promoting the addition of science and math middle grades endorsements amongst elementary and secondary teacher candidates. We commit to increasingly prepare teachers for schools that currently face the greatest shortages by deepening our existing school partnerships that serve Title 1 students and families through regular meetings with school partners to review how our field-based approach to teacher education can be more mutually beneficial to these partner schools and communities.

Loyola University Chicago commits increasing support our teacher candidates to develop the skills and mindsets to foster belonging in STEM classrooms, especially for Black, Latinx and/or Native American students, by regularly reviewing and redesigning program curricula as necessary to ensure it promotes anti-racist, anti-bias, and culturally relevant education.”

Commitment Statement Coming Soon

By 2027, we will support 3,000 formal and informal educators across the U.S. through high-quality and culturally-responsive STEM professional learning. We plan to engage 100 educators from marginalized communities/populations in co-designing these professional learning opportunities that build from an assets-based mindset leveraging the expertise, lived experiences, and equitable power already present. We will develop strategies influenced by culturally-responsive tools that examine both the barriers to high-quality professional learning and access to educators’ perspectives. We will strategically design educator programming and support to address different levels, interests, and entry points.

By 2027, the Math Circle Network will provide professional development to at least 6,000 teachers annually, of whom the majority will teach in Title I schools, using well-tested materials designed to foster productive mathematical mindsets and sense of belonging especially among students from historically marginalized communities. Previous research has demonstrated that Math Teacher Circle (MTC) participation increases teachers’ sense of belonging, growth mindset, and mathematical identity, as well as their use of inquiry-oriented classroom practices. Over the course of the next 5 years, we will systematically refine existing professional development materials in response to the expressed needs of MTC teachers in Title I schools.

By 2027, the Math Circle Network will double the number of regional networks of Math Teacher Circles to 16 by partnering with state and local education agencies. Previous research has shown that Math Teacher Circle participation increases teachers’ sense of belonging as well as their engagement and leadership in the profession. By working closely with school administrators, we can ensure these mathematical communities are well integrated into teachers’ workplace culture.

Over the next five years, Math for America will continue to support ~1000 K-12 STEM educators per year across New York City and the ~100,000 students they serve by cultivating classrooms of STEM belonging with a special focus on the needs of BIPoC, LGBTQlA+, and multilingual students and teachers. This will be accomplished by building a robust selection of over 400 high quality PD offerings for educators each year aligned with equity and inclusion, CRSE, national STEM standards, relevant and cutting edge STEM content and pedagogy, and teacher leadership. This will result in transformative learning and leadership experiences that guide teachers in their classrooms, schools, and broader communities, ultimately contributing to STEM teachers remaining in the classroom long-term.

Over the next five years, Math for America Los Angeles (MfA LA) will retain 80 secondary school math and/or computer science (CS) educators in the greater Los Angeles area with a focus on serving Black, Latinx, and/or Native American students. By taking teachers’ needs seriously, respecting them as professionals, and caring for them as individuals, we aim to provide teachers with everything they need to teach ambitiously and equitably, while doing so with joy and confidence. MfA LA aspires to achieve a critical mass of highly-effective math and CS teacher leaders in the greater Los Angeles area so as to improve student learning and create more equity and justice. We estimate these efforts will impact learning for roughly 16,000 secondary school students per year.

MSU Denver’s School of Education (SOE) will recruit and prepare 212 Black, Latinx, and Native American STEM teachers by 2029. To do this we will: 1. Develop a campaign about teaching as a profession that elevates the voices of SOE alumni educators of color as ambassadors of the profession. 2. Leverage existing initiatives that recruit and prepare candidates of color (e.g. Call Me MISTER, Hawkins Grant) 3. Ensure preparation programs consist of culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogy for all aspiring teachers. 4. Infuse preparation programs with trauma-informed practices. 5. Support social-emotional wellness of candidates through alliance groups. 6. Provide diverse mentors who receive appropriate instruction and compensation.

MIND Research is committed to developing high quality, effective instructional aids and resources that will engage approximately 1,000 teachers in the learning process over the next 5 years, with the goal of elevating the learning atmosphere for all learners, especially Black, Latinx and/or Native American students. In order to accomplish this goal, MIND Research will partner with students, teachers, administrators, and parents all over the United States. We have committed to true collaboration and data gathering on improving the student experience in the learning process. These partnerships are designed to elevate and highlight student and teacher assets, especially the assets of Black, Latinx, and/or Native American students. These partnerships are critical and will continue over the next 5 years as we seek to empower all students to see themselves as mathematicians.

Over the next 5 years, MiSTEM will continue its investment in a networked approach across its 16 regions in Michigan, and in statewide action areas for science and engineering, math, and computer science with a focus on cultivating STEM classrooms that center belonging. In the past year, we grew from providing over 200,000 youth with project-, problem-, or place-based (3P) learning experiences either directly or through educator experiences to over 350,000, we anticipate this number will continue to grow as we engage more partners in our regional and state networks. With over 18,000 underrepresented educators and students participating in our networked activities, MiSTEM commits to focusing state resources in minoritized communities, through local and state partnerships, while supporting the system to shift towards transdisciplinary, authentic 3P learning opportunities. MiSTEM will employ a 3P, community/partner-based strategy as a key tool for recruiting future educator talent and retention.

Mouse commits to working primarily with Title I NYC public schools to deliver computer science professional development workshops to 500 teachers by 2027. Mouse provides a curriculum that is engaging, and allows teachers and students to explore issues relevant to their communities while providing ongoing coaching support as teachers teach the curriculum. The coaching will support teachers as they gain CS skills and support them to stay in the profession. We will work with five higher education and professional organizations working in design, technology, and engineering to advise, validate, and endorse Mouse courses.

The Museum is committed to being a source of inclusive and equitable science learning and resources. Supporting in-service science teachers through professional development contributes to making science accessible. With an inspired teacher, all students can become proficient in science when they regularly use the tools and practices of science. We commit to increasing the self-efficacy for equitable and effective three-dimensional science instruction (where students are expected to make sense of phenomena and develop solutions to problems) of at least 500 teachers of science in grades 3 through 8 over the next five years. Our goal is to select cohorts of teachers who, in aggregate, will serve a student population with the following demographic: 67% low-income, 35% Black, and 35% Latinx. To support teachers in fostering their students’ sense of belonging in STEM, our staff will implement principles of Universal Design for Learning and co-develop locally relevant phenomena in our programs.

Commitment Statement Coming Soon

By 2027, we will develop strategies and messaging to ensure that 30% of National Board candidates are STEM teachers. We will share those recruitment strategies and messaging with Beyond 100K partners. Of those 30%, 60%+ will support a majority of BiPOC students and at least 35% will be BiPOC STEM teachers. We are committed to strengthening the teaching workforce in some of the most challenging contexts. Research indicates that the NB certification process supports teacher retention and professional growth. NBCTs remain in the profession longer than their non-certified colleagues, with one analysis finding that school systems retain NBCTs at nearly 4 times the rate they retain non-certified teachers. We are opening up access to educators interested in the Board certification process by allowing candidates to begin the process before completing 3 years of successful teaching. This policy opens access and removes barriers to educators by allowing them to begin the process of Board certification before completing 3 years of successful teaching and serves as a retention strategy to support STEM teachers. Research shows that teachers’ engagement with NB Standards and pursuit of NB Certification improve practice and retention.

By 2027, we will retain more BiPOC STEM teachers by incorporating emerging best practices for supporting BiPOC educators, such as affinity networks and mentorship, into the supports for educators pursuing NB certification and support BiPOC NBCT leaders. We will examine the barriers that BiPOC educators face in their pursuit of Board certification and work to address those challenges. We will center the professional learning needs and expertise of BiPOC educators in all we do to recruit, support, and retain NB candidates. We will partner with and leverage the expertise of the National Board Network of Accomplished Minoritized Educators in the work to recruit and support BiPOC educators pursuing Board certification. We will also work with our partners to more effectively support BiPOC candidates and center the expertise of BiPOC NBCTs as leaders to define accomplished teaching based on their classroom evidence of practice critically positioning BiPOC as leaders and mentors.

The NB commits to revising all certificate area standards in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The NB is taking the time to ensure this standard is robust and comprehensive, forward-thinking and garners widespread support from educators, parents, students, and leaders and has a clear pathway to adoption and successful implementation.

As an organization, we are committed to ensuring that all teachers know that they belong in the National Board community. We are actively working to center the lived experiences, professional expertise, and lived experiences of educators who have been most marginalized in education systems. In partnership with BiPOC educators, we developed a DEI toolkit for our staff and partners to examine the following from a diversity, inclusion and belonging lens: their own beliefs, values and practices; their outreach and recruitment efforts, and their facilitation and support systems. We are committed to do the work internally and with our partners to ensure that all teachers feel welcome and know that they belong in the NB community — that it is their community.

National Center for Teacher Residencies is making three commitments to support teacher preparation, retention, representation and belonging. First, NCTR will support our teacher residency partner programs to advocate for state and federal policies that benefit teacher residency development, sustainability, and funding. Second, NCTR will continue the Black Educators Initiative (BEI) through 2025, and seek funding sources for Initiatives supporting other racial/ethnic groups of underrepresented teachers. We commit to sharing the impact of BEI to encourage continued investment in impactful strategies that increase the number of teachers of color in the profession and intentionally work to remove barriers to entry to the profession. Third, we commit to focus on belonging by supporting our teachers to cultivate classrooms of belonging, and schools to cultivate workplaces of belonging, with a focus on Black, Latinx, and Native American students and teachers by developing tools for supporting teacher residency leaders with selecting hiring sites for resident teachers that exemplify the characteristics of a strong commitment to inclusion and belonging and affirm teacher residents’ cultural and lived experiences.