Voya Foundation and Teach for America Collaborate to Diversify America’s Teaching Workforce

Voya Financial, Inc., announced that Voya Foundation, the company’s giving arm — has entered into a collaborative effort with Teach For America to diversify America’s educator workforce. The collaboration will:

• Support Teach For America’s recruitment initiatives on the campuses of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs);
• Place a strong focus on recruiting students majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) subjects; and
• Provide additional applicant support and engagement opportunities for undergraduates on HBCU campuses.

“We have worked for almost a decade with great organizations like Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Medgar Evers College to help diversify the teacher workforce through one-on-one mentorship programs, which are extremely impactful for participants,” said Braeden Mayrisch, director, Social Impact. “Teach For America’s strength in larger-scale recruiting will vastly add to our reach, and ultimately improve the classroom experience of the thousands of students. It is a great step in expanding diversity, equity and inclusion at the most fundamental level — in our schools.”

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Racial diversity in our nation’s educator workforce face unique barriers. According to a 2018 US Department of Education survey, 79% of educators are Caucasian and 76% of educators are female. This research also shows that students learn better when teachers mirror their own backgrounds — a phenomena that presents particular challenges for Black and African American boys. This new collaborative effort will continue to support Teach For America’s work to bring diverse educators into our schools.

“Teach For America is thrilled to be embarking on this partnership with Voya,” said Franchesca Jones, managing director of recruitment at Teach For America. “Recruiting the incredible undergraduates from our country’s HBCUs has been an ongoing priority for Teach For America. We’re grateful to have a new partner who shares our vision of a diverse educator workforce and who can support the applicants who want to make that vision a reality.”

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This collaborative effort is part of Voya Foundation’s signature program, Voya Teacher Voices. The program focuses on empowering teachers to become leaders by promoting the teaching career, recognizing high-achieving educators, providing training opportunities and offering financial support to achieve their goals. Additionally, this program, which will launch this year, will help drive Voya’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy as the company looks to form further relationships with America’s classrooms that directly impact the financial capability and wellness of the Black and African American community.

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