BPS ALANA (African, Latino, Asian, and Native American) Educators Program

Mission:

In order to ensure that every BPS child has an exemplary education, we commit to supporting the retention and promotion of a highly-qualified workforce that reflects the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of our students.  

GOALS:

  • To provide direct access to information in a way that facilitates both promotion and retention for all ALANA educators committed to providing an exemplary education to Boston students. 

  • To help ALANA educators, particularly those who are new to BPS, navigate the system effectively and 

  • To create a safe space for intellectual discourse that provides ALANA educators with a place to learn from one another, share expertise, experiences, and best practice, and plan for career advancement

 

Origins of the BPS ALANA Educators Program

In January 2013, a small group of BPS ALANA educators, working in collaboration with the Office of Human  Resources (now the Office of Human Capital), piloted a 5-month series of events designed to retain provisional teachers of color in BPS. The monthly information sessions served provisional teachers of color and were co-sponsored by the Boston Teachers’ Union.  At the sessions, early career teachers received targeted information regarding content and SEI licensure, the BPS hiring process, and summer employment, travel and scholarship opportunities.  After analyzing participant feedback, the ALANA Educators teacher planning team restructured the program design to have more impact on the broader BPS ALANA community: 

  • We extended the membership to include ALANA educators in all stages of their career.  

  • We expanded our format to host both monthly networking gatherings and regular informational sessions. 

We offer two distinct types of convenings that have given our members access to relevant information and training, and offered dedicated time to build community. We make a point to host our networking gatherings at venues in neighborhoods across the city - with attendance reaching 100+ participants in some months. Topics at the information sessions have shifted to include dual/triple licensure needed to maintain current positions, and selecting effective artifacts for performance evaluation. Notably, 70% of monthly participants have attended more than one Networking Gathering and roughly 35% have attended consistently over the life span of our programming.

Support for BPS ALANA Educators continues to be a priority for the Boston Public Schools. Out of the original ALANA program model, the Office of Human Capital - Diversity Programs has launched a number of additional programs to support the retention and development of educators of color. To learn more about these programs either click on their links OR send your request via email: 

If live links are not available, please contact Rashaun Martin at eoccultivation@bostonpublicschools.org for more information.

BPS ALANA Educators Program Planning Team

The BPS ALANA Educators Program is designed and organized by a dedicated group of BPS educators:

  • Rashaun J. Martin, Educators of Color Cultivation & Retention Specialist

  • Ceronne B. Daly, Managing Director of Recruitment, Cultivation and Diversity Programs

For more information regarding the BPS ALANA Educators Program,  please contact the planning team at Diversity-ALANA@bostonpublicschools.org