Brothers RISE

Ohio's public schools serve 1.6 million students of all races, backgrounds, genders, and abilities, but unfortunately, that diversity is not reflected in our education workforce. Ohio University's Patton College of Education launched a program to help change that by recruiting Black males to become education majors and fostering their growth throughout their time on campus. Program coordinator Dr. Jason Rawls and Aspiring Educator member Mekhi Evans join us for this episode to talk about the difference the Brothers RISE program is making. 

LEARN MORE ABOUT WHY THE PROGRAM IS NEEDED| Brothers RISE (Rallying to Inspire and Shape Education) is an initiative designed to strengthen public education by recruiting students, particularly African American males, into Teacher Education. While African American students make up 16.8% of the student population in Ohio, less than 1% of their teachers are African American males. African American male teachers are needed to serve as culturally relevant teachers who are able to acknowledge and support the academic success, cultural competence, and sociopolitical awareness of all students, especially students of color. Click here for full information.

CONTACT | If you have any questions about Brothers RISE and/or wish to apply, please contact Dr. Jason Rawls at [email protected]

Featured Education Matters guests: 

• Jason Rawls, Ed. D. - Brothers RISE program coordinator, Ohio University
  • Known for his work with Black Star, a hip hop group comprised of Mos Def and Talib Kweli, Dr. Rawls contributed production on “Brown Skin Lady” and “Yo, Yeah,” which placed him on the map among independent hip hop producers. As an Associate Professor of Instruction at The Patton College of Education at Ohio University, Dr. Rawls is now co-writing the first Hip-Hop Based Education program in a College of Education in the United States (H.O.P.E. Program). The program is a series of four courses rooted in Hip-Hop Based Education using both Culturally Relevant and Relational Pedagogy. 
• Mekhi Evans - OEA Aspiring Educator member
  • Mekhi Evans is a second-year Education major at Ohio University. Originally from Hilliard, Ohio, Mekhi is a founding member of the Brothers RISE program.

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• The Ohio Education Association represents about 120,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals who work in Ohio’s schools, colleges, and universities to help improve public education and the lives of Ohio’s children. OEA members provide professional services to benefit students, schools, and the public in virtually every position needed to run Ohio’s schools.
• Education Matters host Katie Olmsted serves as Media Relations Consultant for the Ohio Education Association. She joined OEA in May 2020, after a ten-year career as an Emmy Award winning television reporter, anchor, and producer. Katie comes from a family of educators and is passionate about telling educators' stories and advocating for Ohio's students. She lives in Central Ohio with her husband and two young children.

This episode was recorded on March 6, 2023.