DiMauro Michele - How do we recruit and retain Black male teachers in K-12 education

Running Head: HOW DO WE RECRUIT AND RETAIN BLACK MALE TEACHERS IN K-12 EDUCATION?

HOW DO WE RECRUIT AND RETAIN BLACK MALE TEACHERS IN K-12

EDUCATION?

Michele S. DiMauro

MGMT 5805 CAPSTONE PROJECT – University of Connecticut

July 9, 2015

HOW TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN BLACK MALE TEACHERS IN K-12 EDUCATION? 2

Table of Contents

Abstract 3

Introduction 4

Literature Review 10

Methods 15

Sample Study & Selection of Case 16

Validity Analysis 16

Data Analysis & Instrumentation 17

Case Description and Analysis Findings 20

Case Description 20

General Trends/Themes & Findings 22

Analysis of Findings 28

Recruitment Strategies & Local Policy 28

Retention Strategies 31

Expected Impact and Contributions 32

Limitations 36

Conclusions 37

References 41

Appendices 45


Abstract

The recruitment and retention of Black male teachers has received the attention of school

districts nationwide. In February 2014, President Obama launched “My Brother’s Keeper”

which is a new initiative to help every boy and young man of color break barriers and get ahead.

In the fall of 2010, Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education, launched a national initiative,

Teach.gov, to recruit the “next generation” of teachers. Duncan emphasized the following, “I’m

very concerned that increasingly, our teachers don’t reflect the great diversity of our nation’s

young people, and so making sure we have more teachers of color and particularly more men,

more black and Latino men, coming into education is going to be a significant part of this Teach

Campaign” (Bireda & Chait, 2011, p. 1). Black male teachers are largely underrepresented in

our nation’s classrooms, and it has been widely reported that they make up less than “2% of our

country’s teachers” (Nicolas, 2014). This paper will provide an overview describing the issues

that have lead up to this major problem, data and statistics, an analysis of a case study (African

American teachers in public schools: An examination of three urban school districts), and

recommendations for recruiting and retaining Black male teachers in K-12 Education such as

thinking differently about recruitment and retention and different pathways into teaching such as

alternative programs, community colleges, early outreach, growing your own, regional

educational service centers, and mentoring programs.


Introduction

A burning issue facing public schools across the country is the shortage of Black male

teachers. There are compelling social and educational reasons for having a more diverse

teaching force and an undeniable benefit in exposing students to all sorts of role models (Gursky,

2002). It is critical for students to see Black male teachers as role models because if they don’t

see their own kind in positions of leadership, they have no one to aspire to become like, but

“that’s not to say that someone else can’t teach them" (Gursky, 2002, p. 28). Using data from

Project STAR (landmark study in Tennessee that boosted the case for smaller class sizes), the

results indicated that students assigned to teachers of their own-race generated substantial gains

in student achievement for both black and white students (Gursky, 2002). Even more evident, “a

year with a same-race teacher increased students’ math and reading scores by about 4 percentile

points” (Gursky, 2002, p. 28).

The need for Black male teachers is very clear and vital as Census data shows that

schools are increasingly comprised of Black and Latino students across the nation. The

projections are that “non-whites will soon be the majority of students in public schools. As of

2009, 47% of students were black, Latino, Asian and Native American” (Bryan, Ed.D. & Ford,

Ph.D., 2014, p. 156). However, this shift has not reflected in the teaching profession. An

analysis of the National Center for Educational Statistics (2012) data showed that black students

made up more than 45% of the PK–12 population, whereas black teachers made up only 17.5%

of the educator workforce (Institute of Education Sciences, 2015). It is possible for students

from all racial backgrounds to spend their years in school and never have a Black male teacher.


This disparity doesn’t allow for Black male students to see themselves reflected in the teaching

profession.

Black male teachers serve as a role model for Black male students because they share the

same “cultural experiences and linguistic backgrounds” which allows the students to have that

familiar interactions with their teachers and serve as inspirational models for students to pursue

higher education (Madkins, 2011, p. 417). Ladson-Billings (2009) stated that all students need

to see teachers resemble them, who have shared their cultural and lived experiences, and who

can serve as cultural negotiators. Black male teachers have the power to “interrupt such negative

trends by serving as advocates” for Black male students (Bryan, Ed.D. & Ford, Ph.D., 2014, p.

159). The increased emphasis on recruiting and retaining Black male teachers is related to the

belief that Black students need the role models and that when Black students are taught by

teachers from their own/racial ethnic background they tend to perform better academically and

show improvements in their personal and social development (Howard, 2012).

In the Howard case study, eight (8) African American boys were selected who attended a

predominately African American public charter school, Angel’s Academy (Howard, 2012). In

this study there were interviews and informal observations that explored the relationships the

students had with African American male school personnel. The first interview was to seek out a

foundation for a relationship of trust and respect, while also gathering important socio-

demographic information such as family, interest and activity involvement (Howard, 2012). The

second and third interviews sought to identify the socializing methods they received from adult

males and how their relationships with these men informed the “boys’ masculine sense of self”

(Howard, 2012, p. 377).


The eight (8) students were asked to identify adult males in their school with whom they

could talk to about personal matters, and they identified six (6) men as Black/African American

and one (1) Caucasian (Howard, 2012). These men varied in age, marital status, and number of

years teaching (Howard, 2012). The relationships were unique in the sense that race and gender

provided the opportunity for adolescent African American boys to expand the possibilities for

self as they negotiate the process of establishing an identity that feels most authentic and true to

self, and that African American boys can be further supported in their effort to develop a sense of

self that is authentic and to maximize their academic potential (Howard, 2012, p. 385).

Addressing the issues regarding Black male students and Black male teachers is essential

in order to arrive at the methods to recruit and retain Black male teachers in Education. For

example, some pertinent issues restraining back Black male students are limited options for

young Black men, high school drop-out rates, declining enrollment in post-secondary education,

increasing rates of incarceration of young Black males, increasing suspension and expulsion

rates of young Black males. As stated in the Article The Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys,

“Black boys lead the nation in suspension” and “maybe the real problems is that we don’t

understand that Black boys have a different learning styles” than white children (Hale-Benson,

Ph.D. & Moss, Jr. D.D., 1985, p. 34). The 2007 data shows that 25.6% of Black male students in

K-12 have repeated a grade, 49.5% of Black male students have been suspended which is the

highest percentage rate of all race/ethncity, and 16.6% of Black male students have been

expelled which helps to represent the issues that are occuring have lead to the missed educational

opportunities for Black males (see Figure 1) (Ponjuan, Ph.D. & Saenz, Ph.D., 2011).


In its 2006 report, “the Schott Foundation for Public Education notes that on average,

58% of Black male high school students do not gradute in four years” (Harper, 2006, p. 2).

Nationally, more than two thirds (67.6%) of black men who start college do not graduate within

six (6) years, which is the lowest college completion rate among both sexes and all racial/ethnic

groups in higher education” (Harper, 2006, p. vii). Basically, there is a need to strengthen the

ties between post-secondary education and Black young male students through various reforms

(Harper, 2006). Achievement and educational outcome data at the national, state, and individual

school district level provide clear evidence of wide-spread, systemic failure across American

public schools to effectively educate Africa American young men (National Education

Association, 2010).

The issues pertaining to the shortage of Black male teachers historically started back in

desegregation which “marked the beginning of a long period of loss of Black teachers with the

profession” (Madkins, 2011). DuBois made the following statement about the desegregation of

public schools in 1960, “If and when they (Blacks) are admitted to these (public) schools certain

things will inevitably follow. Negro teachers will become rare and in many cases disappear” (Du

Bois, 1973, p. 151). Unfortunately, DuBois’s forecast of what would happen to Black teachers

became factual, and tens of thousands of Black teachers lost their jobs as a result of the

desegregation of American public schools (Madkins, 2011). This historical issue had a huge

impact on the loss of Black teachers; however, there are also some current and on-going

variables that have influenced the lack of Black males entering into the teacher profession.

As discussed in the article The Black Teacher Shortage (2011), several reasons for

shortages of Black male teachers are due to inadequate academic preparation for college entrance


and graduation, increased opportunities for Black students to pursue more prestige and

successful careers, inferior school preparation, and the effects of standardized testing practices

(Madkins, 2011). Many Black secondary education students have received inadequate school

preparation and are less likely to finish and graduate from college. Those that do attend college

sway to other careers such as business, science, and careers that are considered more successful

or lucrative such as a professional athlete (Madkins, 2011).

At 21 flagship college and university institutions, “more than one out of every five black

men on campus was a student athlete in 2004” (Harper, 2006, p. vii). In the article, Identifying

New Sources of African American Male Pre-Service Teachers: Creating a Path from Student-

Athlete to Student Teacher, discusses a more innovative approach to recruitment which requires

teacher preparation programs to partner and collaborate with university athletic departments in

an attempt to influence and increase a larger pool of Black male potential teaching candidates

(Byrd, et al., 2011). Su stated in the journal, Teaching as a Profession and as a Career:

Minority Candidates’ Perspective, “that teaching has not been recognized as a profession by

many in the public and it has not enjoyed the same respect, social status, and economic

compensations as some other human service professions such as law and medicine” (Su, 1997, p.

328). Other issues such as low salary, constant challenges in the teaching profession, and the

misconception regarding a teacher’s work schedule were other contributors. Black males’

selection of education as a major in college is extremely low when compared to other collegiate

majors (Lewis, 2006). Ryan (2005) listed the following average monthly income earnings for

the top bachelor degree fields of study in 2001 was an Engineer at a monthly earning of $5,296,


Business at a monthly earnings of $4,815; Science Medicine at a monthly earnings of $3,693;

Education at the lowest average earnings at $3,433 (Ryan, 2005).

According to Powell, the federal government does not provide the instructions for

recruiting teachers, especially teachers of color which means that state and local policies

affecting education are different nationwide, statewide, and districtwide. Teacher certification

requirements and guidelines are left up to each individual state with some particular federal

stipulations (Powell, 2009). Every state is allowed to create their own licensure process for

teachers – which has led to use of over 600 different teacher licensure exams throughout the

country which results in states not accepting each other’s teaching licenses, and teachers are

locked into working in the state where they began their career or they may be forced to start fresh

if they move to another state (Hiler & Johnson, 2015). This variation has played a major impact

on how Black teachers are recruited into field of teaching.

Nationally, several different recruitment models have emerged in an effort to increase the

presence of African American males in teacher education programs and to open up a talent

development pipeline to the field of teaching. The Call Me MISTER (Mentors Instructing

Students Toward Effective Role Models) Initiative was created in the fall of 2000 to recruit, train

and certify Black men as teachers in South Carolina’s public primary schools (Byrd, et al.,

2011). The Griot Program is geared toward the African American male career changer who

wants to a make a difference by serving as a primary role model for students in urban school

systems (Byrd, et al., 2011).


It is vital to consider all feasible passageways to teaching for Black males, and to

examine early recruitment efforts to encourage and promote potential future teachers while they

are still in high school or even theoretically earlier on. It is important to do more to ensure

teachers represent the students they teach and “this includes thinking differently about

recruitment and retention and about how we as a country view teaching” (Hawkins, 2013).

Talent development is not just about recruiting, building, and retaining the best talent; it is about

being aware of the goals, vision, and culture of the organization and diligently planning and

anticipating the needs for talent in the future (Ready, Hill, & Thomas, 2014).

This review will identify the historical approaches both academic and practitioner studies

that were found that met the criteria of relevance, empirical nature, and quality. The historical

approaches regarding the issues that attributed to the shortage of Black male teachers, a

comparative of African American Male Teachers in Public Schools: An Examination of Three

Urban School Districts case study, a description of the cases and findings and what solutions

should be proposed, expected impact and contributions of the case/interventions, limitations, and

what still needs to be done or considered with a summary of the key findings will be discussed

later in this paper. With this in mind, next I will review the literature on the issue of the shortage

of Black male teachers.

Literature Review

There is a shortage of Black teachers in the workforce, and the percentage of Black

teachers has continued to decrease since desegregation (Madkins, 2011). During the era of

segregation, Black teachers taught Black students and White teachers taught white students


(Madkins, 2011) In 1910, there was a huge need for Black teachers especially in the South.

Teaching was considered an available and respected profession for Blacks, and many of the

teachers attended historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) (Madkins, 2011).

Additionally, teacher candidates could attend training instituitions at the county level to become

teachers (Madkins, 2011). These teachers served as role models for the black students on how to

steer their future even though it was faced with racial inequalities and discrimination (Madkins,

2011). During this time, teachers were taught with the idea that the charge of teaching was to

ultimately inspire and elevate members of the race (Morris, 2004). Du Bois (1935) stated that

Black teachers provided a “sympathetic touch” because of their knowledge of their students’

culture, history, language, and community (p. 328).

By 1950, about half of all Black professionals working in the United States were

employed as a teacher (Cole, 1986). During this time, Black teachers were highly regarded as

professionals within the Black community, and teaching was considered a fundamental part of

the professional life for Black people (Gordon, 2000). In 1954, approximately “82,000 Black

teachers taught nearly two million Black students in the United States public schools” (Madkins,

2011, p. 419). According to Siddle Walker (2001), Black teachers were “preparing Black

students to compete in the desegregated world that did not yet exist” (p. 769). Siddle Walker

(2001) blended a variety of perspectives on Black teachers and identified five principles that

captured the beliefs they held about their roles: (1) Teachers should develop a relationship with

the community, (2) teachers should be committed to professional ideals, (3) teachers should care

about their students, (4) teachers should relate the curriculum to students’ needs, (5) in return

teachers would receive community and school forms of support.


Du Bois (1973) prediction of desegregation of public schools in 1960s unfortunately

came true and “tens of housands of Black teachers lost their jobs as a result of the Brown ruling”

(p. 151). In the eleven years immediately following Brown, more than 38,000 black teachers and

administrators in 17 Southern and border states lost their jobs (Toppo, 2004). In Arkansas, no

Black teachers were hired in desegregated districts from 1958 to 1968, and in Texas five

thousand “substandard” white teachers were employed while certifed Black teachers were told to

go into other careers (Toppo, 2004). Administrators were impacted even worse as 90% of Black

prinicipals lost their jobs in eleven (11) Southern States (Toppo, 2004). In 1964, Florida had

Black prinicipals in all sixty-seven (67) school districts, and ten years later only forty (40) school

districts had Black principals (Toppo, 2004). The number of Black principals dropped from six

hundred twenty (620) to forty (40) principals from 1967 to 1971 (Toppo, 2004).

The percentage of Black teachers began to decline as in 1978 Blacks comprised only 12%

of the national workforce and has since declined over time (Madkins, 2011, p. 419). The number

of Black students who chose teacher education as a major declined by 66% in 1975 to 1985

(Tillman, 2004). Although many efforts to recruit minority teachers began with federal court

orders to diversify district staffs in the 1970s and 1980s, some districts chose to voluntarily

diversify staffs in response to increase student diversity (Madkins, 2011). New teacher

certification requirements and teacher education program admission requirements resulted in the

displacement of “21,515 Black teachers” (Tillman, 2004, p. 286). By 2001, Black teachers

represented 6% of the public school teaching force, whereas Black students represented 17.1% of

the public school student population (Tillman, 2004, p. 286). Desegregation helped to contribute

to a historical factor regarding the decrease in number of Black teachers (Madkins, 2011). Over


the past twenty years, recruitment efforts in many large urban districts have focused on hiring

more minority teachers through different programs such as alternative route to certification

(Madkins, 2011). Despite these various efforts to recruit and retain Black male teachers, the

teaching workforce has remained the same (Madkins, 2011).

Since that time there has been a series of public policies in the last 25 years that have had

a negative impact upon young Black males (Harper, 2006). Some of the policies include the

abandonment of rehabilitation and treatment of drug users in exchange of using criminal

sanctions, state policies to divert youthful offenders to adult criminal systems, and the imposition

of zero tolerance policies to exclude youth with problems from public schools (Harper, 2006).

These policies have had a huge impact on young Black males such as increasing High School

dropout rates and it has also contributed to a decline in enrollment in postsecondary education

(Harper, 2006). Black males have been the victims of chronic system-wide levels of poor

performance coupled with class, gender, and racial problems that may arise while at school

(Davis, 2003). Black males who do excel may feel psychological pressure from the burden of

“acting white” (Boykin, 1992) (Ogbu, 2004). There has also been an increase in incarceration to

a significant degree, and the increase of suspension and expulsion rates at schools (Harper,

2006).

The chart in Figure 1 examines the trends across the entire public school educational

pipeline (K-12); the 2007 data shows that 49.5% of Black male students have been suspended

which is the highest percentage rate of all race/ethncity, and 16.6% of Black male students have

been expelled which helps to represent the issues that occuring that have lead to the missed

educational opportunities for Black males (see Figure 1) (Ponjuan, Ph.D. & Saenz, Ph.D., 2011).


As stated in the article The Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys, Black boys lead the nation in

suspension and the real problem is “that we don’t understand that Black boys have a different

learning style” and for example “have a different walk, a different talk, larger ego, are more

agressively inclined, are more athletically inclined (Hale-Benson, Ph.D. & Moss, Jr. D.D., 1985,

p. 34). “Black english exists” and “their parents speak it and so do their friends” (Hale-Benson

et al., 1985, p. 34).

Figure 1: Percentage of Public Schools Students who have repeated a grade, been

suspended or been expelled by Race/Ethnicity and Gender 2007

White Black Hispanic Asian0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Male/repeated a gradeMale/suspendedMale/expelled

An analysis of multiple data sources reveals the national trends and disparities: “In 2002,

black men comprised only 4.3% of all students enrolled at institutions of higher education, the

same as 1976” (Harper, 2006, p. vii). “Nationally, more than two-thirds of black men who start

college do not graduate within six years, which is the lowest college completion rate among both

sexes and all racial/ethnic groups in higher education” (Harper, 2006, p. vii). As stated in the

article Increasing Teacher Diversity (2011), “the dismal rate of high school and college

completion for students of color immediately minimizes the number of eligible candidates for the


teaching field” (Bireda & Chait, 2011, p. 5). Despite the underrepresentation of Black male

students in higher education, there is still a representation of Black male students that can be

easily found on most college and university intercollegiate sports teams. This is an important

issue in order to discover why these students aren’t going into education. Partly, it's self-

perpetuating; if boys don't have male teachers, they are less likely to consider entering the

profession. Men also are deterred from teaching by lack of the profession’s social status, fear of

being charged of abuse, and relatively low pay compared to other professions. It is also

important for boys to have male role models, particularly when so many children live in homes

where the only adult is their mother or grandmother. All students need to see Black males in

authority roles in order to provide students with Black role models other than athletics,

entertainment, or, unfortunately, crime.

State and school districts have tried to create incentives to recruit Black male teachers

such as creating teacher education programs to produce teachers which correlates to the

following research questions. What recruitment strategies and local policy methods can be

incorporated in order to recruit Black male teachers in K-12 education? How can retention

strategies be successful in encouraging Black male teachers to remain in the teaching career?

Methods

To investigate the research question noted in my literature review, I selected a case study

by Lewis (2006) which was an analysis of African American Male Teachers in Public Schools:

An Examination of Three Urban School Districts. This case study examines the disproportionate

number of Black male teachers in K-12 public schools.


Sample Study & Selection of Case

More specifically, this case study surveys 147 Black male teachers in three urban school

districts in Louisiana, who were in years one to three of teaching, in order to better understand

what strategies could be implemented to increase the presence of Black male teachers (Lewis,

2006). “The three school districts were selected because they employed 5% of Black male

teachers” during the 2000-2002 academic years (Lewis, 2006, p. 233). The state of Louisiana

was selected as a good benchmark to conduct the study since it provided one of the highest

percentages of Black males in the teaching population as compared to other states (National

Center for Education Statistics, 2003). I selected to analyze this case study for my research

project due to the variations of a mix of quantitative and qualitative evidence. My plan is to use

an explanatory approach which will desribe the most effective ways to encourage Black males to

enter and remain in the teaching profession.

Validity Analysis

Since Lewis (2006) used a survey instrument (see appendix 1) in this case study, it was

necessary for him to establish content validity of the new instrument. In the case study, a panel

of five experts received a draft of the survey for review along with a brief summary of the study,

a description of the sample group to be surveyed, known limitations of the study, and desired

beneficial results of the survey (Lewis, 2006). The five experts who reviewed the content and

the survey and made suggestions for the revision of the survey (Lewis, 2006). On the basis of


the experts opinion, there were six modifications of the survey until there was a collaborative

agreement determined which obtained content validity (Lewis, 2006).

To ensure reliability, the survey was given out and teachers provided feedback regarding

the layout and the readability of the survey (Lewis, 2006). There was a sample of 50 Black

teachers from Louisiana which was used to pilot the survey instrument. The sample for the pilot

study was working closely with the Human Resources Department of the three school districts,

and then contacting the principals who had the Black male teachers with one to three years of

experience (Lewis, 2006). Those principals provided the names of the African American males

who met the criteria (Lewis, 2006) The Black male teachers in the sample pilot were contacted

by mail and provided with information describing the study and a consent form (Lewis, 2006).

After the consent forms were returned, teachers were mailed a copy of the survey to review for

readability and for layout (Lewis, 2006). These teachers recommended changes to improve the

formatting and readability of the survey instrument. After input from the teachers in the pilot

study, the instrument used in the final case study was finalized (Lewis, 2006).

Data Analysis & Instrumentation

The first section of the survey instrument had six (6) questions which requested

background information about the teachers, and the second section of the survey collected data

about recruitment and retention mechanisms that were viewed significant by Black male teachers

(Lewis, 2006). This section contained eleven (11) recruitment mechanisms and fourteen (14)

retention mechanisms that Black male techers reponsded to in a Likert-scale format (Lewis,

2006). The Likert-scale helps to create a balance of both sides of a neutral option and creates a

less bias measurement (Allen & Seaman, 2007). This question type is useful when you want to


get an overall measurement of a particular topic, experience, or opinion and collect data, specific

data, on the contributing factors (Allen & Seaman, 2007).

The final section of the survey allowed participants to respond to an open-ended question

concerning the future recruitment and retention of Black male teachers in United States public

schools. Using a survey as a research instrument allows more samples to be collected in a timely

manner. The qualitative data provided a thorough understanding of the represented sample, and

allowed some generalizations to be made to the population. Generally speaking, there are a few

drawbacks to using a survey as a research instrument; however, a survey can be an effective tool

to gather data when there are time constraints. Research states that survey data can pose a

concern since some respondents may not be honest (Yin, 2009).

Lewis (2006) used standard descriptive statistics such as means, percentages, standard

deviation, and coefficient variation as a data analysis due to the nature of the survey instrument.

This provided data on what Black male teachers deemed important in the area of recruitment and

retentions.

The MeanFor a data set, the mean is the sum of the observations divided by the number of observations. It identifies the central location of the data, sometimes referred to in English as the average. The mean is calculated using the following formula.

Formula: M = Σ(X)/NWhere Σ = Sum of

X = Individual data pointsN = Sample size (number of data points)

The Standard DeviationThe standard deviation is the most common measure of variability, measuring the spread of the data set and the relationship of the mean to the rest of the data. If the data points are close to the mean, indicating that the responses are fairly uniform, then the standard deviation will be small. Conversely, if many data points are far from the mean, indicating that there is a wide variance in the responses, then the standard


deviation will be large. If all the data values are equal, then the standard deviation will be zero. The standard deviation is calculated using the following formula.

Formula: S2 = Σ(X-M)/2 n - 1Where Σ = Sum of

X = Individual scoreM = Mean of all scores

N = Sample size (number of scores)

Coefficient of VariationBy calculating how the standard deviation relates to the mean, otherwise known as the coefficient of variation (CV), you will have a more uniform method of determining the relevance of the standard deviation and what it indicates about the responses of your sample. The closer the CV is to 0, the greater the uniformity of data. The closer the CV is to 1, the greater the variability of the data.

Formula: CV = S/M

Another limitation was that a total of 229 African American male teachers in the selected

sample (three school districts) were sent the survey for this case study; however, “one hundred

forty-seven (147) surveys (65%)” were returned in for analysis (Lewis, 2006, p. 234). Table 1

illustrates the response rates for the total number of Black male teachers in the selected three

school districts in the state of Louisiana. This data was obtained from human resources

personnel. In school district 1, there were a total of 45 Black male teachers who received the

survey with 27 of them responding back. In school district 2, there were 58 Black male teachers

who received the survey with a total of 42 responding back to the survey; and in school district 3,

there were 126 Black male teachers who received the survey with 78 responding back to the

survey. Twenty percent (20%) of the sample was no longer working in the three school districts

used in the case study one week following the mailings of the survey (see table 1). The major

themes from this section will be highlighted in the Case/Interventions & Findings section of this

paper.


Table 1: Response rates of total number of African American Teachers in selected

school districts in the state of Louisiana who were within 3 years of teaching

School District Black Male Teachers

Surveyed

Black Male Teacher

Response

% of Total Response

School district 1 45 27 60%



Total 229 147 64%

Case Description and Analysis of Findings

Case Description

In revisiting my research questions, I would like to first briefly describe my case,

intervention, and data followed by what I found as far as general themes or trends as related to

research questions and my methodological approach. Specifically, as I had discussed in the

methods section, I explained that I would look at the case study African American Male Teachers

in Public Schools: An Examination of Three Urban School Districts for the following reasons.

The case study examines the disproportionate number of Black male teachers in K-12 public

schools. National data showed that Black male students constitute approximately 20% of the

public school population, while Black male teachers constitute 1% of the teaching force

(National Center for Education Statistics, 2003). More specifically, this case study surveys 147


Black male teachers in three urban school districts in Louisiana, who were in years one to three

of teaching, in order to better understand what strategies could be implemented to increase the

presence of Black male teachers (Lewis, 2006). The state of Louisiana was selected as a good

benchmark to conduct the study since it provided one of the highest percentages of Black males

in the teaching population as compared to other states (National Center for Education Statistics,

2003).

The shortage of Black male teachers are prevalent because of economic, education, and

social cultural factors (Lewis, 2006). The economic reasons were due to low pay, too much

education for the return, and a wider range of career choices than previous generations of Black

males had. The educational reasons were related to insufficient K-12 schooling, negative

experiences in the school setting, and a lack of emotional and academic mentoring (Lewis,

2006). The social and cultural reasons factors were related to experiences of racism and lack of

support. Aligned with the educational pipeline notion, Brown and Butty (1999) noted:

the number of African American males who go into teaching is influenced by the number of

African American males who attend college, which in turn is influenced by the number of high school

graduates and so on…unfortunately the pipeline that moves African American students from public

school to public school teaching is a leaky one (p.282).

Lewis selected the state of Louisiana because it provided one of the highest percentages

of Black males in the teaching population as compared to other states (National Center for

Education Statistics, 2003). In this case study, there was a sample of one hundred forty-seven

(147) Black male teachers at three (3) different school districts in the state of Louisiana who

were within three (3) years of teaching (Lewis, 2006). The age range of the sample of Black


male teachers ranged from 21 years old to 40 years old (Lewis, 2006). A total of 85% of Black

male teachers were between the ages of 21 to 30 years old, and a total of 15% of Black male

teachers were between the ages of 31 to 40 years old (Lewis, 2006). Twenty-five (25) Black

male teachers (17%) had less than one year of teaching experience, sixty-two Black male

teachers (42%) had one year of teaching experience, thirty-one (31) Black male teachers (21%)

had two years of experience, and twenty-nine (29) Black male teachers (20%) had three years of

teaching experience (Lewis, 2006). I selected this case study for my research project due to the

variations of a mix of quantitative and qualitative evidence.

General Trends/Themes & Findings

Following the analytical methods outlined in the methods section, I would like to now

discuss some of the trends and themes that I found in the case study African American Male

Teachers in Public Schools: An Examination of Three Urban School Districts based on my

interpretation of the case and data before going into an assessment of impact, contributions,

limitations, and concluding remarks with this study. Several prevailing themes have emerged

regarding why Black males are not entering the teaching profession, such as other career

opportunities are now available to them; not viewing teaching as an attractive or lucrative career

choice; low compensation offered by many school districts; faced with many educational

obstacles that keep them from pursuing a career in teaching; encounter social and cultural

obstacles that take various forms such as poor academic preparation in secondary schools and

difficulty in the social and cultural adjustments to college life (Lewis, 2006). In reviewing the

trends of Black males’ participation in teaching, there were three (3) common themes that have

surfaced.


Low Compensation. The first trend is the low compensation offered to teachers (Lewis,

2006) In order to increase the presence of Black male teachers among K-12 education, the

compensation being offered must be more attractive to encourage Black males to consider a

career in education.

Educational Obstacles. The second trend is to overcome the educational obstacles such

as the PRAXIS, and in order to do this teacher education programs need to create a curriculum

that will train and teach Black males in order to improve their chances of passing these tests

(Lewis, 2006).

Social and Cultural Adjustments. The third trend is to create a welcoming culture at

universities and colleges for teacher education programs in order for Black male candidates to

increase their chances of becoming certified teachers (Lewis, 2006).

Table 2 exemplifies data that was gathered from the survey question number 6 (see

Appendix A): Who was the most influential person in your decision to teach (Lewis, 2006)?

Participants in the study using the Linkert-scale section of the survey checked the appropriate

response for the question choosing either (a) family member; (b) elementary teacher; (c) high

school teacher; (d) friend; (e) elementary principal; (f) high school principal; (g) counselor; (h)

other (please specify) (Lewis, 2006). The majority (60%) of Black male teachers in this study

reported that a family member was the most persuasive person in their decision to choose a

career in teaching (Lewis, 2006). The High School Teacher was the next influential person that

persuaded their decision to choose a career in teaching; 16% of participants selected this

category (Lewis, 2006). An Elementary Teacher ranked in third place; 8% of participants


selected this category (Lewis, 2006). Interestingly, not a single participant checked off that they

were persuaded to go into teaching by their Elementary Principal or their High School Principal.

Table 2: Survey question 6: The most influential person(s) in your decision to teach

Influential Person Number Checked on Survey % Checked on Survey

(a) Family member 88 60

(b) Elementary Teacher 12 8

(c) High school teacher 24 16

(d) Friend 7 5

(e) Elementary Principal 0 0

(f) High School Principal 0 0

(g) Counselor 9 6

(h) Other 7 4

(i) Total 147 100

In question 7 of the survey (see Appendix A) under recruitment mechanisms, participants

were asked what encouraged them to take their current position at their school district in

Louisiana (Lewis, 2006). The participants in the survey had to rate each recruitment mechanism

as they regard its relative degree of encouragement for considering employment with their school

district. They were required to place the appropriate letter(s) in the space provided to the left of

each of the categories. The ratings were VE – very encouraging; E-encouraging; D-

discouraging; VD-very discouraging; NA-not applicable (Lewis, 2006). Standard descriptive

statistics such as means, percentages, standard deviation, and coefficient variation were used as a

data analysis because of the nature of the survey instrument (Lewis, 2006). This will provide

data on what Black male teachers deemed important in the area of recruitment.


Table 3 provides an analysis of what Black male teachers respected and valued in the

area of recruitment. The top five responses were the following: helping young people; needing

a job; contributions to humanity; location of a job, and other. The closer the coefficient of

variation (CV) is to 0, the greater the uniformity of data. The closer the CV is to 1, the greater

the variability of the data. In looking at Table 3, the CV for recruitment mechanism for helping

young people has a CV of .13 which is closer to 0 which means the variation is rather small, this

indicates the data has the greatest uniformity with respect to the mean and there is a general

consensus among the sample. Salary has a CV of .35 which is closer to 1, which means the data

has a great deal with respect to the mean and there is NOT a general consensus among the

sample.

Table 3: Results of Survey question 7: Recruitment Mechanisms

What recruitment mechanisms were most effective in your selection of teaching profession?

Recruitment Mechanism Mean Standard Deviation Coefficient of Variation

Helping young people 3.70 .48 .13

Needed a job 3.47 .50 .14

Contributions to

humanity

3.38 .49 .14

Location of job 3.22 .76 .24

Other 3.27 .90 .28

Size of district/school 3.18 .74 .23

Curriculum 3.11 .66 .21

Individual social status 2.98 .64 .21

Benefits 2.94 .73 .25

Class size 2.79 .81 .29

Salary 2.64 .93 .35


In question 8 (see Appendix A) of the survey under retention mechanisms, participants

were asked what keeps them in their current position (Lewis, 2006). The participants in the

survey had to rate each retention mechanism as they regard its relative degree of encouragement

for considering remaining in their current teaching position. They were required to place the

appropriate letter(s) in the space provided to the left of each of the categories. The ratings were

VE – very encouraging; E-encouraging; D-discouraging; VD-very discouraging; NA-not

applicable (Lewis, 2006). Standard descriptive statistics such as means, percentages, standard

deviation, and coefficient variation were used as a data analysis because of the nature of the

survey instrument (Lewis, 2006). This will provide data on what Black male teachers deemed

important in the area of retention. Table 4 (below) provides an anlaysis of responses to this

retention question. The top five responses were job security, contibutions to humanity, goals

(short/long term), location of job, and adminstrative support (Lewis, 2006). The coefficient of

variation shows that salary and parental support show that the data has a great deal with respect

to the mean and there is NOT a general consensus among the sample.

Table 4: Results of Survey question 8: Retention Mechanisms

What keeps you in your current position?

Recruitment Mechanism Mean Standard Deviation Coefficient of Variation

Job Security 3.36 .63 .19

Contributions to humanity 3.33 .63 .19

Goals (long/short term) 3.17 .63 .20

Location of job 3.14 .79 .25

Administrative support 3.13 .82 .26

Size of district/school 3.09 .74 .24


Working Conditions 3.04 .87 .29

Curriculum 2.87 .82 .29

Individual social status 2.83 .63 .22

Benefits 2.81 .75 .27

Class size 2.80 .87 .31

Parental support 2.60 .98 .38

Salary 2.48 1.03 .42

The last question (#9) of the survey (see Appendix A) asked an open-ended question;

Black male teachers were asked how the recruitment of Black male teachers could be improved

by their particular school districts. The five (5) following major themes were found in the survey

results (Lewis, 2006):

1. Recruit teachers from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

2. Provide better benefits, higher salaries, and better working conditions.

3. Allow African American male teachers that are currently employed by school

districts to be recruiters at job fairs.

4. Use the media (i.e., Internet, television, and media) to better recruit Black males.

5. Provide equal opportunity based on true qualifications and not “who you know”.

The process begins by analyzing the findings of this case study, how they inform existing

practice, and what solutions should be proposed. With this in mind, you will find an analysis and

existing finding on my research questions.


Analysis of Findings

This case study provides some evidence to answer the following research questions:

1) What recruitment strategies and local policy methods can be incorporated in order to recruit

Black male teachers in K-12 education? 2) How can retention strategies be successful in

encouraging Black male teachers to remain in the teaching career? The findings of this case

study are quite significant and the participants (Black male teachers) made some very interesting

points that we must acknowledge; especially school districts and those (Human Resources,

Superintendents, state and federal, colleges and universities) that are interested in the recruitment

and retention of Black male teachers.

Black male teachers were asked what person was the most influential in your decision to

become a teacher; 60% of the Black male teachers stated that a family member was the most

influential person in their decision to become a teacher. Parents and other family members play

an important role in many academic decisions, and it is important that school districts involve the

family members in the recruitment process and look at promoting a recruitment plan that

involves the family. For example, a possible recruitment method might be visiting a potential

candidate at their home to talk with them and their family about the benefits of working at XYZ

school district. Another example would be a guidance counselor who might also visit the family

home to have a discussion with the family about the possible scholarships and grants that are out

there in teaching that can be awarded to the student for attending a college or university.

Recruitment Strategies & Local Policy. Black male teachers in the case study were

asked, “What was the most important recruitment mechanism offered by your school district that

influenced your decision to become a teacher?” (Lewis, 2006) This is important since this


question ties into my research question: What recruitment strategies and local policy methods

can be incorporated in order to recruit Black male teachers in K-12 education? The survey

results showed that helping young people and contributions to humanity were among the top

influential factors for them. This information should be utilized to emphasize the importance of

helping young people succeed as one of their primary recruitment strategies for recruiting Black

male teachers (Lewis, 2006).

More efforts should be made to involve the community outside of education and to utilize

valuable resources to identify potential Black male candidates for the teaching profession.

Another resource could be to collaborate or partner with the 100 Black Men of America which is

a community organization designed to improve the quality of life for Black males by providing

mentoring and educational programs. Organizations like this can form partnerships with Black

males in teacher preparation programs and provide individual mentoring and financial support

for students pursuing teaching as a career. By doing this, Black male students can be matched

with successful Black male teachers to improve the possibility of the students being successful in

their journey to become a teacher.

There needs to be policy changes to refine the entrance requirements for teacher

programs. Many Black males who have the potential to become exceptional teachers are not

admitted to teacher programs because of their standardized test scores (Lewis, 2006). It is vital

that entrance requirements are reassessed. There should be alternative measures or requirements

such as achievements, grades, interviews, and the passion for the profession should be taking

into consideration.


The recruitment emphasis for Black males should be on the societal importance of

helping other Black students become successful. For policy makers looking to increase the talent

development pipeline of Black male teachers, it is imperative to create opportunities for Black

students to have early experiences with teaching. School districts and policy makers could create

opportunities for high school Black males to teach or tutor younger students. A perfect example

of this is Pathways to Teaching (PTT). This program is a comprehensive teacher readiness

program designed to encourage culturally and racially diverse high school students to consider

teaching as a career (Connecticut Alliance of Regional Educational Service Centers, 2015). This

intensive and inclusive career development and college readiness program provides academic,

social, and financial support to students from high school to college. The PTT program is

composed of support systems such as mentoring by certified teachers at the high school and

college levels, SAT preparation, summer educational internships, college field trips, tutoring, and

scholarship assistance for tuition, books, and fees (Connecticut Alliance of Regional Educational

Service Centers, 2015). Similarly, state and national policy makers could provide funding for

Black males in college to tutor students in elementary and secondary schools.

High schools and colleges need to work and collaborate together to develop an ongoing

and systematic recruitment program that has emphasis on attracting Black males into teaching.

This could be done by marketing and helping Black high school students to become more

knowledgeable about education and teaching, developing and implementing a curriculum for a

high school course on teaching and learning in our society, and facilitating a collaborative

approach to teacher recruitment (Lewis, 2006). There also can be collaboration between teacher

education programs and two-year colleges due to the large pool of Black males in two-year


colleges (Lewis, 2006). The core of academic courses in the teaching program could be taken at

a two-year college which will help Black students because of the financial value of attending a

two year college, the social value of the smaller class, and greater connections to the instructor.

All of these things could help increase the odds of academic success.

Retention Strategies. This case study emphasizes the retention strategies for Black male

teachers which ties into another one of my research questions; how can retention strategies stay

successful in encouraging Black male teachers to remain in the teaching career? Black male

teachers responded that the most important factor of their current positions that have allowed

them to stay with their current school district was the job security of the position, contributions

to humanity, and short and long-term goals (Lewis, 2006). This is important information that

should be used by school districts in order to find methods to highlight job security and the

contributions to humanity that are connected with teaching and the school district. For example,

a school district can tie their school vision and mission into this in order to build a culture and

climate that promotes job security and the contribution to humanity by helping children learn and

achieve.

Job security can also be expanded by creating a talent development pipeline in order to

provide your teachers with growth potential such as Administrator positions within the school

district. This may take the form of creating Administrator internships where Black males can be

trained and mentored on Administrative/Director positions within a school district. One

implementation of this is growing your own by developing, mentoring, and nurturing your staff

to become future leaders within your school district. This will help to make Black male teachers

more marketable within your school district and provide the required opportunities needed for


growth. Use mechanisms such as quality mentoring in order to provide support to new teachers

for their probationary period with the school district. This will help them to easily adjust to the

demands of teaching. Another method of retention is providing equal opportunity for all staff

and rating your employees on what they know versus who they know. Human Resources offices

should create rubrics that rate their employees on the knowledge and standards needed for the

position.

School districts may consider incorporating racial and gender climate awareness training

for Administrators and staff members. This would help alleviate social boundaries that can

create challenges for Black male teachers as they serve in their teaching roles. School districts

could provide socio-emotional support to Black male teachers, which in, turn could provide

reflection on practice in regards to student learning such as allowing them to utilize education

days to network with other Black male teachers through their school district, other school

districts, and throughout the state.

Another retention strategy would be to provide new Black male teachers with financial

incentives to stay in the teaching profession, such as stipends and after school programs, tuition

reimbursement to promote education, and forgiveness on student loans. These examples are all

great techniques of retention policies that school districts could implement in order to increase

the odds of retaining qualified Black male teachers in the future.

Expected Impact and Contributions

Based on the findings of the case study, it suggests that retention techniques play a role in

the recruitment and retention of Black male teachers in K-12 education. The findings also


highlight the impact of better benefits, higher salaries, and better working conditions as effective

strategies for recruiting and retaining teachers of all races and background.

The findings of this case study are quite significant: (1) policy makers should create

opportunities for Black students to have early experiences with teaching, (2) state Department of

Education and policy makers would open more doors to minority teachers, (3) policy makers and

practitioners will devise solutions to improve the conditions that Black students face across the

nation’s schools, (4) Policy makers may encourage school districts to conduct cluster hiring in an

attempt to create diversity and to actively recruit administrative positions internally in order to

provide Black male teachers with growth potential, (5) Practitioners could offer different ways to

better support Black male teachers in their school districts, (6) Practitioners could provide socio-

emotional support to Black male teachers.

Policy makers should look to increase the talent development pipeline of Black male

teachers by creating opportunities for Black students to have early experiences with teaching. A

perfect example of this is a program such as Pathways to Teaching where culturally and racially

diverse students are encouraged through a comprehensive teacher readiness program to consider

teaching as a career. This would be an emphasis on the societal importance of helping Black

students become successful and provide support systems such as mentoring by certified teachers

at the high school and college level. State and national policy would need to implement and

provide funding for Black males in college to tutor students in K-12 schools. One of the more

prominent recruitment programs is Call Me MISTER (Mentors Instructing Students Toward

Effective Role Models) which provides tuition assistance and leadership training to Black male

students pursing education degrees. Finally, there needs to be recruitment methods as early as


high school similar to Future Teachers that specifically target Black male students. School

districts should be connected to these programs providing information about their individual

hiring requirements and offering internships for the young men in the programs.

Black males are often overlooked for teachers’ programs due to their low standardized

test scores. A reassessment by the State Department of Education and policy makers would open

more doors to minority teachers. This is a current obstacle that holds back many Black males

who have the potential to become exceptional teachers, but are not admitted to teacher programs

because of their standardized test scores. Policy changes need to be implemented to refine the

entrance requirements for teachers’ programs, and there should be alternative measures such as

achievements, grades, interviews, and the passion for the profession should be taking into

consideration.

There appears to be a direct correlation for Black males between dropping out of high

school due to being suspended, expelled or incarcerated. In addition to experiencing such social

challenges, Black males also experience their school experience as particularly negative. Black

male students are twice more likely to be suspended than any other students. Research and data

regarding the rate at which Black male students are suspended, expelled, and unable to graduate

from high school after four years is sufficient enough to influence policy makers to summon

Black males into the role of as an educator/teacher. It is my hope, that policy makers and

practitioners will devise solutions to improve the conditions that Black students face across the

nation’s schools.


By just bringing in Black male teachers without careful consideration on how to retain

Black male teachers may encompass practitioners and policy makers in unending recruitment

campaigns. School Districts might have as much difficulty retaining Black male teachers as

recruiting them. Lewis (2006) found that 60 % of Black males were influenced to enter the

teaching profession based on a recommendation from a family member. The reason why they

entered the profession was to be of help to students, and they expressed the desire to remain in

the teaching profession if they had greater job security, contributed to humanity, and had a

defined talent development career ladder that would allow them to obtain administrative

positions. Policy makers may encourage school districts to conduct cluster hiring in an attempt

to create diversity and to actively recruit administrative positions internally in order to provide

Black male teachers with growth potential.

Practitioners could offer different ways to better support Black male teachers in their

school districts such as using mechanisms such as quality mentoring in order to provide support

to new teachers for their probationary period with the school district. This will help the new

teacher to easily adjust to the demands of teaching. Another method that practitioners could

implement would be to create Administrator internship opportunities. This would be a perfect

opportunity for Black male teachers to be trained and mentored by Administrators. This will

provide Black male teachers with job security within your school district and provide the

required opportunities needed for growth.

Practitioners could provide socio-emotional support to Black male teachers which in turn

could provide reflection on practice in regards to student learning such as allowing them to


utilize education days to network with other Black male teachers through their school district,

other school districts, and throughout the state.

Limitations

As with any study, the findings are limited in a variety of ways: (1) based on only

perceptions shared in prospective schools, (2) generalizing results to other school districts, (3)

was the population a good representative of United States, (4) one method used, (5) the survey

instrument used, (6) 65% responses returned.

One limitation is that by solely surveying Black male teachers, the findings are based on

only their perceptions shared about their schools, specifically the influences that enabled and

constrained their decisions to enter teaching and their desires to stay or remain in their school

districts. Although the sample includes Black males in the targeted school districts, the

responses were gathered from Black male teachers in years one to three of teaching which may

not be representative of all Black male teachers.

This case study was restricted to three urban school districts in Louisiana so it is

imperative that caution should be taken in generalizing the results to other school districts with

Black male teachers, and also was this population a good representative of United States. I

wonder if the results would have been different in the State of Connecticut. Another potential

limitation could be there was one method used: a survey instrument. Could the results have been

different if the researcher, Lewis (2006), provided structured interviews or observations?

Possibly having two methods might have allowed the researcher to identify patterns and then

make claims about the experiences of Black male teachers.


We also have to consider the limitations of the survey instrument and how there was only

nine questions on the survey. The qualitative data provided a thorough understanding of the

represented sample, but allowed some generalizations to be made to the population. Generally

speaking, there are limitations to using a survey as a research instrument; however, a survey can

be an effective tool to gather data when there are time constraints. Research states that survey

data can pose a concern since some respondents may not be honest (Yin, 2009).

Finally, this brings up another limitation, there was that a total of 229 African American

male teachers in the selected sample (three school districts) were sent the survey for this case

study; however, “one hundred forty-seven (147) surveys (65%)” was returned in for analysis

(Lewis, 2006, p. 234). A potential limitations is that there was only 65% of responses returned,

leading to a sample that may not reflect the attitudes and practices of Black male teachers in the

three urban school districts in Louisania. One week following the first two mailing of the

survey, the researcher learned that approximately 20% of the sample was no longer working in

the three urban school districts used in this study.

Conclusions

To improve the recruitment and retention of Black male teachers in K-12 education, there

needs to be further areas of future research that should be examined. The greater demand for

Black male teachers justifies the need for more effective recruiting and retention strategies and

policies. Thus school districts that apply the recommended strategies resulting from this case

study will be able to develop, recruit, and retain Black male teachers. To improve the


recruitment and retention of Black male teachers in K-12 education, there are several

recommendations as areas of future research that should be explored.

First, there should be a large scale study with Black male high school and college

students who want to be teachers to better understand what influenced their choice to become

educators (Lewis, 2006). Next, there should be an enquiry performed across school district

nationwide to determine what recruitment and retention strategies work best for hiring Black

male teachers in K-12 schools (Lewis, 2006). Lastly, there should be more theoretical studies

conducted on Black male teachers to continue to inform the dialogue on the dire need for Black

male teachers (Lewis, 2006).

In conclusion, the literature review highlighted the importance of having Black male

teachers in the classrooms across United States. The data around the rate that Black males are

suspended and expelled and unable to graduate from high school after four years are enough to

influence policy makers about the importance to summon Black men into the teaching

profession. The absence of Black male teachers from classrooms can also be attributed to many

factors; however, the current ones appear to be other career options and the assumption that

teaching is a female dominated profession. Many school districts are in need of Black male role

models that those school districts are purposefully seeking to recruit Black teachers in the

classroom. This could be done by following the recruitment and retention strategies listed in this

case study.

The top three recruitment strategies that were most important to Black male teachers

were (1) helping young people, (2) needing a job, and (3) contributing to humanity (Lewis,


2006). Therefore, this information is important for school district Administrators and Human

Resource Directors. First, Administrators/Human Resources must continue to stress at various

recruitment and college fairs the vital role of teachers, specifically Black male teachers in

helping young people reach their educational goals and become productive members of society.

Next, school districts must work closely with colleges and universities regarding making them

aware of teaching opportunities at their schools. Third, school districts and colleges and

universities can work closely together to inform Black male students and teachers that the

teaching profession is an excellent way to contribute back to humanity. Based on the findings of

this case, these are all recruitment mechanisms that will aid in increasing the presence of Black

male teachers in schools.

In the area of retention of Black male teachers, this case study found the top three

retention mechanisms were (1) job security, (2) contributions to humanity, and (3) shorts and

long term goals (Lewis, 2006). Colleges, universities, and school districts must continue to

remind Black male teachers about the job security in the profession of teaching. They could also

provide teachers with growth potential within the school district to increase retention rates.

Without these efforts, school districts will continue to lose Black male teachers to other

professions. Next, they must build a climate and culture at the school district that fosters the

efforts that teachers play in making a difference in the lives of students. Lastly, school districts

can create a mentor program that would provide a new Black male teacher with mentoring and

advice on their assignments within the school district and any possibly short and long-term goals.

By implementing these recruitment strategies, school districts can increase their retention rates of

Black male teachers (Lewis, 2006).


In conclusion, Black male teachers are a key importance in the classroom. They not only

serve as a role model for Black students, but for all students. White students also benefit from

exposure to Black male teachers in positions of authority and influence because this will better

equip them to thrive in an increasingly diverse nation. There are compelling social and

educational reasons for having a diverse teaching force, and as our society and our schools are

becoming more and more diverse, there’s an irrefutable value in exposing students to Black male

teachers. Research has shown that a year with a same-race teacher has increased students’ math

and reading scores. Finally, there needs to be policies that strengthen teacher training,

recruitment, selection, and retention with the emphasis on increasing the number of Black male

teachers in K-12 education. There needs to be a national commitment to these efforts where

local, state, and federal programs and policies need to be created to aggressively bring Black

males to K-12 education.


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Appendix A

SURVEY INSTRUMENT

Background Information

Please check the appropriate responses(s) for each item:

1. Age:

a. 21 – 30____ b. 31-40____ c. 41-50____ d. 51-60____ e. 61+____

2. Years of experience (entire career)

a. 0______ b. 1______ c. 2______ d. 3______

3. Grade level(s) for which you have had instrucitonal responsibility

a. Elementary __________ b. Secondary___________

4. The highest academic degree you have attained:

a. Bachelor’s__________ b. Master’s__________ c. Doctorate_________

5. What was your undergraduate major? What university/college?

a. Major:__________________ University/College:___________________

6. The most influential person(s) in your decision to teach: (check all that apply)

a. Family member__ b. elementary teacher___ c. high school teacher ___ d.

friend____ e. elementary principal____ f. high school principal____

g. counselor____ h. other (please specify)____________________________


Factors Influence Recruitment and Retention of Black Male Teachers

The following items represent various factors of teaching. Please rate each factr as you regard its relative degree of encouragement for considering remaining in your current teaching position. Place the appropriate letter(s) in the space provided to the left of each number. All questionnaires are anonyous.

Ratings: VE-very encouraging E-encouraging D-Discouraging

VD- very discouraging NA-not applicable

7. Recruitment MechanismsWhat encouraged you to take your current position?

___ 1. Salary ___ 6. Helping young people

___ 2. Benefits ___ 7. Class size

___ 3. Contributions to humanity ___ 8. Needed a job

___ 4. Individual social status ___ 9. Location of job

___ 5. Size of district/school ___ 10. Other___________________________

8. Retention MechanismsWhat keeps you in your current position?

___ 1. Salary ___ 6. Class size ___ 11. Parental support

___ 2. Benefits ___ 7. Curriculum ___ 12. Goals

___ 3. Contributions to humanity ___ 8. Size of district/school ___ 13. Admin. support

___ 4. Individual social status ___ 9. Job security ___ 14. Other _______

___ 5. Location of job ___ 10. Working conditions _________________

9. In your opinion, how could recruitment and retention of African American teachers be improved?______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

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DiMauro Michele - How do we recruit and retain Black male teachers in K-12 education

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