Cooper aims to use his personal experience as a Leading Men Fellow and classroom teacher to encourage other young men of color to pursue teaching as a career

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, August 26, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Literacy Lab, a national leader in providing children – in communities experiencing racial and economic inequities – from age 3 through grade 3 with evidence-based, culturally responsive literacy instruction, has named Torren L. Cooper as its 2024-2025 Leading Men Fellowship National Education Ambassador.

A native of Washington, DC, Cooper will be a leading voice in helping The Literacy Lab attract men of color throughout the city and across the country to pursue a career path in teaching.

Cooper first became involved with The Literacy Lab as a member of the Fellowship’s inaugural cohort in 2016. He also holds the distinction of being the first Leading Men Fellow to become a full-time teacher after completing his one year of service in the program. Cooper teaches first grade math and science at Thomas Elementary School in Washington, DC.

“I’m beyond excited to welcome Torren as our new National Education Ambassador,” said Ivan Douglas, national director of the Leading Men Fellowship. “Torren’s incredible story of starting as a Fellow, transitioning to become a paraprofessional, and then ultimately serving as a fully certified teacher in the DC region, is exactly the kind of personal testimony and narrative that we want our Fellows and larger community to witness. I firmly believe Torren’s personal story will inspire more Black and Brown men to consider teaching as a career.”

Black students who have at least one Black teacher in elementary school are significantly more likely to graduate from high school. However, just 2% of teachers across grades K-12 are Black men.

Cooper plans to use his new role as National Education Ambassador to help change the narrative around the lack of teacher diversity and encourage men of color to consider careers in education.

“I’m honored to be named the Leading Men Fellowship’s National Education Ambassador,” said Cooper. “Accepting this volunteer position gives me the perfect platform to help inspire young men of color to answer the call to help diversify the racial makeup of classroom teachers here in the DC region and beyond.”

Cooper also serves as the chair of the education committee for the Alpha Sigma Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and the young adult minister at First Baptist Church of Highland Park in Landover, Maryland.

Through his commitment to service, Cooper aims to empower and inspire youth and young adults through education, advocacy, mentoring and spiritual inspiration.

“I never imagined the impact that I could have in the lives of young kids in my community until I joined this Fellowship,” added Cooper. “The opportunity to uplift young learners in the classroom during my time as a Leading Men Fellow solidified my decision to pursue a career in teaching, and I hope my story inspires other Black and Brown men to do the same.”

In his new national role with the Leading Men Fellowship, Cooper will use his voice to share the great need to have more men of color in the classroom. He will contribute to the Leading Men Fellowship’s advocacy and work to retain current Fellows, recruit new candidates, and build partnerships with school districts to help grow the program throughout all five Leading Men Fellowship regions across the country.

Cooper has a Bachelor of Science from Millersville University, a Master of Divinity from Howard University, and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree at United Theological Seminary to cultivate community transformation through faith-based activism.

The Leading Men Fellowship empowers and equips young men of color, ages 18-24, with opportunities in the field of education by serving as paid pre-K literacy tutors to help close the literacy gap in underserved and marginalized communities. The Fellowship currently has programming in five regions throughout the country, including: Atlanta, Georgia; Baltimore, Maryland; Cincinnati, Ohio; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Washington, D.C.

For more information about The Literacy Lab’s Leading Men Fellowship, visit theliteracylab.org/leading-men or email lmf@theliteracylab.org.

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About The Leading Men Fellowship
The Literacy Lab’s Leading Men Fellowship creates opportunities for young men of color and increases representation in the field of education. Leading Men Fellows are young men of color who have recently graduated from high school and participate in a year-long, residency-style experience in which they provide evidence-based literacy support to pre-kindergarten students while receiving robust coaching and professional development and gaining valuable experience.

About The Literacy Lab
The Literacy Lab is a national non-profit organization that provides students – in communities experiencing racial and/or economic inequities – with evidence-based, culturally responsive literacy instruction as preparation for academic, professional, and personal success. The Literacy Lab partners with school districts to help achieve attainment gains by embedding full-time, rigorously trained tutors in early childhood centers and elementary schools.

Lernard Freeman
The Literacy Lab
lfreeman@theliteracylab.org
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