Scholarships

The Martinez Foundation grants scholarships to graduate students of color who are pursuing careers in education and are committed to equity in education and giving back to their communities. We select our Fellows for their commitment to teaching in under-served Washington State public schools for a minimum of 3 years.

Graduate Scholarships: Scholarships are divided between students pursuing Master’s in Teaching degrees at the University of Washington, Washington State University, and Seattle University.

Support Programs

In addition to offering financial support, The Martinez Foundation seeks to provide essential support services to its scholarship recipients as they transition into working in underserved communities.

One-to-one Mentoring: The first two years of teaching are the most volatile for new teachers and the most important to their career. To better support these 1st and 2nd year teachers, The Martinez Foundation has begun a mentoring program, which assists teachers in the following two ways:

• An intensive mentoring program pairs young teachers who ask for help managing challenging classrooms with highly talented and effective teachers in the field.  These mentors closely assist individual Fellows and help them grow in their classrooms. 
• Mentors are paired with fellows who spend one day observing this highly effective teacher in his/her classroom, followed by a second day in which the mentor observes the Fellow teaching.

Professional Development Seminar, February 11, 2012: The Martinez Foundation was very pleased to have teamed up with Leadership Tomorrow to host the first ever Professional Development Seminar in April 2011.  This annual seminar helps our Fellows become more competitive applicants by building skills in resume writing, interviewing, and navigating workplace politics.

Seattle Children's Theatre Seminar, May 5, 2012: Seattle Children's Theatre hosts this unique seminar training our young teachers in using dramatic techniques to engage and motivate students in diverse classrooms.

Summer Institute for Aspiring Teacher-Leaders, July 19 - 22, 2012:   The keystone of our support programs is The Martinez Foundation Summer Institute. The institute, originally titled "Training Teachers to Serve Underserved Communities," was first held October 16-18, 2009, at the Islandwood Learning Center on Washington's Bainbridge Island. This year will be our fourth annual retreat.  The four-day program directly addresses the critical link between the education of underrepresented minority children and the availability of highly trained and skilled teachers from diverse backgrounds.

The Summer Institute provides students with hands-on training from our community's most experienced and passionate leaders in education. The program provides access to renowned speakers who share their expertise on lesson planning and instruction, teaching to students’ diverse needs, and strategies for communicating with parents from lower income, immigrant and other underrepresented socioeconomic backgrounds.

By the end of the program, student teachers are able to blend teaching theory and practice and model best practices. They have also sharpened their skills and strengthened their zeal and pledge to mold the minds of children within Washington State.