City Colleges of Chicago Announces New Scholarship Program to Support CPS Graduates in Becoming CPS Teachers

SEED (Supporting Emerging Educators Development) Scholarship Will Support CPS Graduates Preparing for a Teaching Career Through Teach Chicago Tomorrow Pathways Beginning This Fall

City Colleges of Chicago Announces New Scholarship Program to Support CPS Graduates in Becoming CPS Teachers 
SEED (Supporting Emerging Educators Development) Scholarship Will Support CPS Graduates Preparing for a Teaching Career Through Teach Chicago Tomorrow Pathways Beginning This Fall

     City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) Chancellor Juan Salgado today announced the SEED Scholarship to increase the pipeline of talented and diverse educators in Chicago. Starting this fall, the SEED Scholarship (Supporting Emerging Educators Development) will support CPS graduates participating in Teach Chicago Tomorrow, a new partnership initiative that creates a clear path from high school to college and back to CPS as a full-time teacher. The scholarship is designed to cover most, if not all, City Colleges tuition, books, and class materials for participating students.
     “Diversifying our talent pool of teachers is a top priority for our schools and underscores our deep commitment to equity across Chicago,” said Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot. “The City is building its own recruitment pathway of high-quality teachers of color to return to CPS classrooms and educate the next generation of our city’s young people. I applaud City Colleges’ partnership with CPS to bring its resources to bear to meet a critical workforce need in Chicago.”
     Chancellor Salgado added, “The cost of college can no longer be a barrier to our students’ aspirations, in particular the many Black, Latinx and low-income students we serve at City Colleges of Chicago. Our investment in SEED joins a growing number of financial supports we’ve developed to ensure City Colleges students can access and complete a college credential. It will help transform our city, creating a more diverse teacher workforce and a more inclusive economy.”
    The SEED Scholarship launches this fall for CPS graduates from the classes of 2020 and 2021, and includes undocumented students and students from CPS charter schools who apply and enroll in Teach Chicago Tomorrow.
City Colleges will off er up to $3,000 in individual scholarship dollars each year to at least 100 students, with the scholarship amount based on the number of credits taken. Students taking 6-8 credits per semester will receive a stipend of $750/semester, students taking 9-11 credits will receive a stipend of $1,000/semester, and students taking 12 or more credits will receive a stipend of $1,500/semester.
     The scholarship will be renewable up to three years. Students can also apply for other scholarships on top of SEED.
     “As a CPS graduate who began my career as a CPS teacher, I can personally attest to the importance of diverse teacher representation on students’ social-emotional well-being and academic progress,” said CPS CEO Dr. Janice K. Jackson. “A growing body of research shows the positive impact of having a diverse teacher workforce on students of color and we are fully committed to building a more diverse teacher pipeline through innovative partnerships and programs, like Teach Chicago Tomorrow. This new scholarship is a critical investment in our students that helps reduces barriers for participation, and it is another step forward in creating a more equitable future for our city.”
     Truman College is City Colleges’ Center of Excellence in education, human and natural sciences and serves as the host campus for the SEED Scholarship and Teach Chicago Tomorrow program. Students are able to take their general education courses across all seven of the City Colleges. “As we look at supporting new teachers, we must recognize our responsibility to give them the nourishment they need to grow in their craft ,” said Truman College President Shawn Jackson, a former CPS student, teacher and principal himself. “The SEED Scholarship will allow us to provide an investment in aspiring teachers – the seeds we plant now will be the teachers of tomorrow.”
     Students who are accepted to receive the SEED Scholarship will be placed in one of two tracks: Pathways Partnership or Emerging Educator, both of which further Teach Chicago Tomorrow’s mission to support homegrown educators. Aft er acceptance into the SEED Scholarship, students will complete a City Colleges of Chicago application.
     Through the Teach Chicago Tomorrow Pathways Partnership, students begin by earning an associate degree through City Colleges and then earn their bachelor’s degree by completing the second two years of college as an Illinois State University student. Throughout the program, intensive support will be provided to help them successfully navigate the pathway to becoming a teacher.
     The Emerging Educator track will put students on a pathway to complete education coursework at City Colleges, and transfer to a four-year institution to complete their studies. Students recruited for this track will aspire to become a teacher, but may not be sure of subject or grade level, or wish to teach outside of the elementary or Special Education track. The coursework and pacing for the Emerging Educator track allow a student to attend full- or part-time. SEED Scholars who subsequently earn an Illinois Professional Educator License will have priority placement for a full-time teaching job in CPS schools.
     Illinois has seen a significant decline in Black and Latinx students earning education degrees, despite more Black and Latinx students graduating college than ever before. According to a CPS analysis of data from the Illinois Board of Higher Education over the past decade in Illinois, there’s been a 54 percent decline in African American students earning education degrees and 28 percent decline in Latinx students earning education degrees.
According to surveys, approximately ten percent of CPS high school students indicate they are interested in working in education, but far fewer go on to become educators. The SEED Scholarship and Teach Chicago Tomorrow creates a clear pathway to become a teacher along with structured supports to help students achieve their goals.
     CPS hires approximately 140 CPS graduates as teachers per year, and is setting a long-term goal to triple the number of CPS grads hired annually to more than 500. Based on current trends, most of those new homegrown teachers will be Black or Latinx.
     To express interest in the SEED Scholarship, students should go to www.cps.edu/applyTCT.

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