Education Week - February 26, 2014 - 28

COMMENTARY
By Donald G. Nicolas
O
Why We Need More Black Men in Teaching
"
ften, particularly in urban
schools and districts, someone
asks: "Where are the black male
teachers?"
Statements affirming the need
for more black male teachers are
commonplace. As an experienced
black educator and former assis-
tant principal, I have heard assertions that more must
be done to increase the number of black educators in
our schools. I have also seen the tremendous impact
an effective black male educator can have in the classroom.
Notice I use the word effective; this is because
an ineffective black male educator can have a more
detrimental impact on a school than perhaps a teacher
from any other demographic.
If I am being candid, I can attest personally to the
fact that in many schools, the only abundance of black
men comes in the form of custodians, food-service employees,
and transportation workers. In addition, in
conversations with my colleagues, it is widely understood
that if black men are educators, they more often
than not are physical education teachers or coach in
some capacity. Black men are largely underrepresented
in our nation's classrooms; it has been widely
reported that they make up less than 2 percent of our
country's teachers.
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is heading
up several initiatives to help recruit black men into
our classrooms, most notably TEACH.org, a public-private
initiative with a mission to "help great candidates
find places in today's rapidly evolving classrooms."
However, could all efforts to increase the number of
black men in the classroom be in vain? I think so. Let
me explain why, and what we can do to help.
Fit. According to recent data from the National Center
for Education Statistics, nearly 82 percent of public
school teachers in school year 2011-12 were white.
When black men first enter the classroom, there is a
high likelihood that they may be only one of maybe
two or three black males on the staff, even in some
predominantly black schools and districts. When hiring
decisions are made within a school, they largely
depend on "fit": Will this person fit in at our school, and
how well? Needless to say, adding a black man to the
staff will automatically change a school's dynamics.
As a black male teacher who has mentored other
black male teachers, I can speak to the fact that parents,
students, and fellow teachers may watch the
black male employee more closely because of the rarity
of the situation. The educator as well as the school
community must be prepared for this. It takes a certain
amount of character to accept and live up to this reality
and the expectations that come with standing out.
Challenge: As a teacher or administrator with a
black male teacher on staff, inquire periodically about
his comfort level and/or difficulties he is having. Reassure
him about his importance to the staff as a whole.
Find time to debrief with him generally in an open
and honest dialogue independent of any evaluative
repercussions.
Lack of mentoring. A deficiency of black males
in the classroom obviously leads directly to a lack of
them in school leadership roles, such as principal and
assistant principal. Educators have long said that
mentoring is a key to success for many new teachers.
In fact, many districts have mandatory induction programs
for first- and second-year teachers.
Part of the mentor experience includes pairing the
new teacher with an administrator or teacher who will
observe, discuss research, and share experiences in
an effort to foster the novice's growth as an education
professional.
The expectation is that new educators will have
mentors who have their best interests and professional
growth at heart. I honestly think it's a challenge
for black men to find someone in their school willing to
level with them and be honest about the great responsibility
that comes not only with being an educator, but
a black male educator at that.
So many times I've personally seen young teachers
written off and led astray by "mentors" who didn't
mentor them and allowed them to sink into what can
be a professional abyss. If any teacher is not given the
proper support, it is easy to be consumed by the overwhelming
responsibility of being an educator.
Challenge: When black male teachers are on the
staff in urban schools that need their presence, it is
imperative that a concerted effort be made to provide
these men with caring, spirited mentors who understand
their importance and vigorously provide them
guidance.
You can't be what you don't see. So many times
it is said black boys want to be rappers or athletes
because when they turn on the television, that's what
they see. If more black male teachers were in our
nation's classrooms, it would dramatically alter children's
aspirations. I wrote this Commentary because
I believe every single conversation about education
today must begin with the need to increase diversity
in the teaching force. A conversation about standards,
teacher quality, or graduation rates cannot begin without
a vigorous effort and commitment to this cause.
Think about the first time you had a black male
teacher, if ever. If you did, chances are you will never
forget him. I firmly believe that if we put positive black
men in front of these students, more young black boys
will aspire to be educators.
Challenge: Ask two people how many African-
American male educators they've had in their K-12
school careers. It is my hypothesis that most will give
you an answer between zero and two. Continue the
conversation by affirming the need to increase this
number.
Poor achievement among our neediest students is
the result, at least in part, of a lack of strong, positive
black educators in the classrooms. This nation needs
to move swiftly to engage more African-American men
in teaching. No longer can we simply be OK with black
men representing less than 2 percent of our teacher
workforce. It is unacceptable. n
DONALD G. NICOLAS is a 5th grade teacher at a public
school in Broward County, Fla.
When black men first enter the classroom,
there is a high likelihood that they may be
only one of maybe two or three black males
on the staff."
| INSIDE |
20 CALIFORNIA:
THE GREAT EXCEPTION
28 | EDUCATION WEEK | February 26, 2014 | www.edweek.org/go/commentary
20 MAKING 'INDIVIDUALIZED'
PLANS FOR A
POSTSECONDARY FUTURE
21 MORE PLAY,
BETTER FOCUS
22 LETTERS TO
THE EDITOR
Vanessa Solis for Education Week/ArtistAllen/iStockphoto
http://www.TEACH.org http://www.edweek.org/go/commentary
Education Week - February 26, 2014

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