Corning Makes Good on Plan to Increase Teacher Diversity

Just a few short years ago, Katherine Molina had never heard of Corning, New York. She certainly hadn't considered moving there. Today, she is three months into teaching art to ninth graders in the nearby Elmira City School District, a role she landed after her second year as an intern in Corning's Teach for Southern Tier New York (STNY) Summer Pathways Program.

The program, heading into its third year, is the brainchild of Jarvis Marlow-McCowin, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Education Manager, Office of Racial Equality & Social Unity (ORESU). To develop Corning's program to attract diverse teachers to its community, Jarvis looked to the New York state My Brother's Keeper Teacher Opportunity Corps (TOC) initiative, which helps students from historically underrepresented and economically disadvantaged backgrounds become teachers.

Many school districts experience challenges recruiting and retaining educators of color. The New York teacher workforce lacks diversity compared to its student population. In the central New York region where Corning Headquarters is located, known locally as the Southern Tier, educators of color make up less than 5% of the teaching workforce across districts. In many of these districts, the representation of teachers of color is extremely low, with some districts reporting single-digit totals.

“We know education majors gain a lot of experience during their summers and often confirm then that teaching is what they want to do with their lives," Jarvis said. “However, many students don't get solid hands-on experience until their last year in school. That's a little too late for student teachers to find out if they want to teach and whether they want to teach in the districts we're recruiting for."

While connecting with student teachers, Jarvis learned that many students weren't very familiar with the school districts in the Southern Tier.

“We wanted to create a program that would give student teachers in-depth, hands-on teaching experience while also immersing them in our community," he said.

The Teach for STNY Pathways Program developed into a summer internship experience in partnership with the Elmira City and Corning-Painted Post School Districts to bring education majors to the area to live and work for six weeks.

“Not many of our students go outside the Central New York area to do their clinical experience," said Nichole Brown, Director of the State University of New York's Oswego College School of Education Clinical Practice & Partnerships Office and TOC Project Director and Principal Investigator. “TOC is really about opportunity and access. I'm all about providing our students access to get experiences they may not get otherwise."

Katherine said she became a teacher to share her love of art and be a support for children. She was recently hired in the Corning area after completing ORESU's internship program.​

​Katherine grew up in a diverse neighborhood in Newburgh, New York, where many students like her were first-generation kids dealing with unique challenges. One of those challenges was her father's deportation to El Salvador. She persevered and studied art, getting her undergraduate degree in graphic design before pursuing her master's degree in education.

“I wanted to go into education so students like me would have that support in high school like I needed," Katherine said.

Teach for STNY interns receive housing assistance to live and work in the Corning area through the duration of the program. Interns are paired with a mentor teacher who provides 1:1 guidance and support. They create lesson plans, teach, participate in professional development and networking opportunities, and also complete an online portfolio that includes weekly highlights and reflections about their experiences.

With the completion of its second year, Corning's program has hosted two interns each summer but can accommodate up to four. Katherine participated in the program both summers. This year's other intern, Shaun Lin, also plans to return to the area next year, Jarvis said.

“What I'm most appreciative of is the community and the love they offered and provided the students," Nichole said. “The support, the professional development, the things they weren't able to do as part of their clinical experience in school. We're grateful for the partnership and want to continue with it and grow it."

Katherine said the experience gave her the courage ​to launch confidently into her career in the classroom in a new region of her home state.

“I was very anxious and nervous when it came to teaching, but this program has given me more time to practice," Katherine said. “Being in this program definitely helped me build my self-confidence."

Katherine's recent hire fulfilled the program's goals, and Jarvis said ORESU is primed to continue the program's success.

“The students who are in our K-12 public schools right now can be our next top engineers, talent management folks, maybe our next CEO. So, if we can make sure they are receiving a great education and a relationship with teachers who share a similar background, it's important for us at Corning to do what we can to help," Jarvis said. “This is an innovative way to give future teachers a chance to immerse themselves in our region and recruit them to live and work here. It's truly a win-win for Corning, the teachers, and the students."​​​