STAR Conference

Michigan Adopts STAR in Pilot Project to Improve Minority Male Education

On April 17 and 18, 2007, the Phelps Stokes Fund sponsored a conference in Flint, MI to celebrate the inauguration of the Michigan STAR Project. The Smart Teachers As Role models (STAR) program is an initiative of the Phelps Stokes Fund that prepares outstanding young men of color for careers as educational leaders and classroom teachers. The initiative places these aspiring minority teachers in districts and schools where students of color – particularly male students of color are failing to thrive.

Research indicates that a connection exists between low student performance and the lack of role models, particularly for young boys of color. A recent Newsweek article ("The Boy Crisis" January 30, 2006) reiterates that "One of the most reliable predictors of whether a boy will succeed or fail in high school rests on a single question: does he have a man in his life to look up to?" Studies show that children work for teachers to whom they can relate.

The Michigan STAR project will focus on Flint, Michigan and the surrounding Genesee County area. The school districts in Flint and Genesee County are looking to address several challenges affecting their students of color such as: high suspension rates, high dropout rates, and declining enrollments particularly among African-American students. The Michigan STAR Project will strive to put more leaders/teachers from underrepresented groups, particularly African-American men, into the classroom. The challenge in doing so, however, is that there is a dire shortage of male teachers of color.

To mitigate this shortage, Baker College of Flint, Mott Community College, and the University of Michigan-Flint have entered into a partnership with the Phelps Stokes Fund to use its national STAR resources to create a model curriculum for underrepresented students who are pursuing degrees and certifications for entering teaching careers. More information on the STAR program can be found at http://psfstar.org.