New Fellowship Program Gives Teachers Tools For Classroom

Tulsa educators are eligible for an exclusive teaching fellowship program.  

It’s a collaboration between Black Tech Street and Hewlett-Packard to give teachers the tools to reinvent their classrooms.  

Black Tech Street says this unique fellowship will allow teachers to experiment with new tech tools in their classrooms and build community with other Tulsa educators.

It’s called the HP Teaching Fellowship. Usually, there are only 25 spots worldwide, but this partnership makes it unique to Tulsa.  

“HP is partnering with us to offer all 25 of those spots to teachers for free in Tulsa Public Schools this year,” Tyrance Billingsley, Founder of Black Tech Street. 

Kiana Smith with Tulsa Legacy said this is an opportunity teachers want to take advantage of. 

She said the fellows get opportunities for professional development, global networking, and learning new skills to bring right back to the classroom.  

“It’s going to open a world of opportunities for them to be successful in college and the world beyond. And to really think about things critically and be able to start addressing some of the digital divides that we see not just in a classroom, but also that we see in the workforce,” Kiana Legacy.  

Black Tech Street is specifically asking teachers of color to apply for this program.  

“We want to ensure that our Black and brown educators are first and foremost applying to this program because we want them to – we know representation is important,” said Billingsley.

Smith said programs like this allow Black teachers to be seen and represented.  

“It shows that the community is, one, acknowledging that Black educators matter. And not that they just matter, that we know that we must invest in our Black educators,” said Smith.  

The goal of Black Tech Street is to rebuild Black Wall Street through tech – and Billingsley said that can be done through workforce and education. So, he encourages teachers to join this network to create a lasting impact in the community. 

“We hope to have future cohorts in Tulsa, after this opportunity, so it will have a multiplying effect if done well,” said Billingsley.

The deadline to apply is Monday, January 31st.

To apply click here.