Black Education / Schools : Where did all the black male teachers go?

MsInterpret said:

Where did all the black male teachers go?

By Leslie T. Fenwick


Recently, Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced TEACH, a national campaign to increase the number of African-American and Latino males being prepared as PK-12 classroom teachers. Nearly 40 percent of public school students are African-American or Latino. In many school districts this statistic hovers above 90 percent. Yet, less than 8 percent of the nation's teachers are African-American and fewer than 4 percent are Hispanic/Latino. In schools inside central cities, 73 percent of teachers are white. In urban schools outside of central cities, 91 percent of public school teachers are white.

Unfortunately, there is a national mythology operating about why the number of African-American teachers, in particular, is so dismally low. The myth goes like this: With desegregation, blacks pursued professions more lucrative than public school teaching. The truth is that massive white-resistance to the desegregation of public schools prompted the firings, demotions and dismissals of legions of highly credentialed and effective black teachers and principals.

In almost all instances, these black educators were replaced by lesser credentialed whites. The fight to decimate the ranks of black principals and teachers leading integrated schools and classrooms was so pervasive that a series of hearings about the displacement of black school principals in desegregated schools was held by the Select Committee on Equal Education Opportunity of the Senate in 1972.

Today, nearly 40 years later, the nation is still reeling from the deliberate wrecking of the black teacher and principal pipeline. Though black educators (in years past and now) tend to have more years of professional experience and are more likely to hold a doctorate in the field than their white professional peers, only 11 percent of the nation's principals are African-American and less than 3 percent of the nation's nearly 16,000 superintendents are African-American.

READ MORE: http://www.thegrio.com/specials/education-nation/where-did-all-the-black-male-teachers-go.php

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cherryblossom said:

Thanks for sharing this....Yes, Black male teachers are scarce even in a post-integration school system.

But then, more-and-more African Americans don't always plan/set out to be teachers but often do end up in the profession.

There's an old saying, "Those who can do. Those who can't teach." Many may have dreams of other (more lucrative) professions but after being rejected in their chosen fields or they reach a glass ceiling, the classroom is often the next job market they seek.

This has been the case with Black males and females.

There just aren't the large numbers of education majors like it was in years past.

...partly because of the pay, partly because of the job itself.

I wonder if there was a poll asking, "What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?" how many Black children would say, "I wanna be a teacher."

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cherryblossom said:

^^^^^ Well said.



And also for consideration is the cultural clash between black males....With many of our youth being reared by single mothers, many young girls and males do and have had a problem with "male authority figures."

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