Tiffany Tate, a producer for Black Entertainment Television, flew in from Washington, D.C., to Albany on Monday morning to work with BET news correspondent Jeff Johnson and hear what U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan had to say.
BET will be airing a series on education, Tate said, to "take a look at the lack of black male teachers, closing the achievement gap and profiling the second round of Race to the Top."
She said the Obama administration has pledged to seek funding to hire more minority teachers.
During his visit to NYSUT, Duncan acknowledged to BET reporter Johnson that the current number of black and Hispanic teachers is "disgracefully low."
The first BET piece is scheduled to air at 6:20 p.m. Wednesday, Tate said. The Washington, D.C. based cable channel is putting together a combination of one-minute packages, articles and video. The packages will air throughout the day, and will direct viewers to www.BET.com for more articles on the education series.
Tate said BET has a cameraman on the DOE's "Back to School" bus tour, and she will be among the crew ready to hear more about what Duncan has to say on Thursday when the tour ends in Alexandria, Va.