The underrepresentation of African American teachers in U.S. schools is a longstanding issue that has significant implications for student outcomes. This dissertation will explore the historical context of African American education and teachers, highlight the persistent disparities in education outcomes between African American students and their peers, and examine the impact of the underrepresentation of African American teachers on student outcomes. Despite decades of progress toward greater diversity in the teaching profession, African American teachers remain vastly underrepresented in comparison to their white counterparts. This thematic concern is of particular importance because research has shown that students of color, particularly African American students, benefit academically and socially from having teachers who share …show more content…
This paper will discuss the importance of understanding the impact of teacher diversity on student outcomes, including the role of teacher expectations and cultural competency, and the impact of role models and mentorship. This history of the underrepresentation of African American teachers and its impacts on student outcomes is a multifaceted topic that requires careful examination and consideration. By exploring this history, we can gain a deeper understanding of the ongoing challenges and opportunities facing African American students, teachers, and the education system.
The history of African American education in the United States is a complex and often painful story shaped by centuries of racism, discrimination, and oppression. During the era of slavery in the United States, African slaves were systematically denied the right to education. According to the historian Carol Berkin, "slave codes in most Southern states specifically prohibited slaves from learning to read or write, believing that education would make slaves discontented with their lot and could lead to slave revolts" (Berkin 115). Any
This statistic shows the lack of diversity in the educational work force. Robert Jensen, a professor at the University of Texas and the author of the 1998 White Privilege Shapes the U.S., points out a simple observation; that even white professors who lack the preparation and knowledge that is required in order to successfully teach, can have their disqualifications easily overlooked based not only on their race, but also on their social class, and often times their
The article written by Ashley Griffin and Hilary Tackie “Through Our Eyes: Perspectives and Reflections From Black Teachers” divulges a seldom insight at the roles and responsibilities Black teachers in America take-on in our current education system. It raises an important question about what can be done to attract more teachers of color to get into the education field, but more importantly what can be done to reduce the burden and stress held by Black teachers trying to relieve the plight of black students struggling in our schools. Having the ability to connect through shared similar experiences in their own lives is one of the most beneficial characteristics Black teachers have with their students.
This chapter discusses the beginnings of African-American children gaining an education and I found the table on page 99 to be interesting in comparing the number of black and white teachers, my initial assumption would be that white teachers vastly outnumbered
At the time period, during slavery, slaves were not taught to read. They were
If they did know how to read and write they would be punished and some slaves were determined to read and wanted to know how to read a lot. I Nightjohn Sarny was determined to learn and she would do anything to learn how to read she even traded tobacco. Other people went to a pit school at night because they wanted to know how to read and they were determined. In a adapted excerpt from Heather Andrea Williams it says “She also recalled that there were “pit school” near mississippi plantation. ”A pit schools were caves where slaves would leave their plantation to learn how to read and write.
‘A Talk to Teachers’ by James Baldwin published on December 21, 1963 in New York was a message to teachers on how they are allowing the injustices of African-Americans to continue through the educational system. Baldwin ultimately wants the prejudice to end through the educational system. His tone tends to change but wants to evoke a sense of urgency to make teachers fix up the educational systems’ views on African-Americans and the false history that is being taught about them. Baldwin ultimately builds his credibility by using his own personal experience from going through the same educational system the present children go through today Baldwin starts off by listing injustices within the treatment of African-Americans ranging from when slavery
As a result, African American students face an achievement gap, hindering their educational attainment and prospects. Talking about this issue requires increased investment in education, targeted support for underperforming schools, and policies that promote equitable access to quality education for all students. African Americans often encounter barriers to
Hilliard suggests that “African American children need to learn languages and content other than that which they may have learned up until now” (Delpit, L., & Dowdy, K., 2002, p.91). This means that educators need to reevaluate teaching practice and the assessment process to fit the needs and promotes African American children’s culture experiences. Provide learning materials that compare their culture with other ethnicity and cultures. According to Darling (2010) “Both segregation of schools and inequality in funding has increased in many states over the past two decades, leaving a growing share of African-American and Hispanic students in highly segregated apartheid schools that lack qualified teachers;
Earlier on, the need for more public schools was at its height, Women and African Americans often were not commonly allowed to attend school, teachers were untrained and underpaid, and children without proper education ravaged the land causing chaos in the large extent of spare time. However, with the help of Horace Mann and many other education reformers, additional schools were established, and teachers were properly trained and paid. People throughout the nation, on the other hand, often fought to make sure African Americans didn’t receive a proper education, going out of their way to diminish the rights of both them and women at the time. Finally, anyone, no matter race or gender could be accepted to practically any school around. At this moment, the same still goes, with a great range of educational opportunities spread across the country.
Recruiting and keeping teachers is difficulty, but attracting minorities into the profession is extremely difficult. As an African American teacher, I have a unique perspective on the topic of recruitment. My first year teaching I taught in a predominately white school, I was the only black teacher in the school luckily the assistant principal was also black and I was able to talk with her about specific things. Over the years, I have taught in four different schools in four different states, in three of the four schools I was the only minority teacher in the school. I have been at my current school for twelve years and during that time the number of African American teachers has increased to eight.
The educational system in America contains numerous racial disparities that affects the very core of the children who is suppose to benefit from education. This disparity comes in many forms in primary schools, a teacher’s attitude being one of them (Epps, 1995). A teacher’s attitude in a classroom consisting of a racially diverse children is a large contributing factor to the academic success of their students, more specifically, the minority African American students. It is a given that all schools should employ qualified teacher who are passionate about their students and the quality of education they provide to these students. Unfortunately, that is not the case for many urban schools that house a large proportion of African American students
In Unequal Opportunity: Race and Education “Race could make or break a student's education, because teachers are less likely to understand a student's learning style, teachers are to blame the students if teachings are not working.” (Linda Darling-Hammond). “Robert Dreeben at University of Chicago did a research on, 300 Chicago first graders African-American and white students who achieved comparable levels on reading skills.” (Linda Darling-Hammond) The results of the test is comparable but the African American students wasn’t given the same level, the white students test was on level and the black student's test was below level.
It is hard to believe that at some point in our country's history, education was limited to those not of African descent. Individuals in lower-income, African families struggled to gain access to education for their children, causing controversy to be created within school systems. The Chicago Board of Education in the 1960s and Brown v. The Board of Education were both vast examples of this as families finally brought to light this issue. These, along with several other disagreements within African American communities and schools, show how racist our country was, specifically in school systems, before the Civil Rights Movement.
According to the peer-reviewed article "The Long-Run Impacts of Same-Race Teachers", "We find that Black students randomly assigned to at least one Black teacher in grades K–3 are 9 percentage points (13 percent) more likely to graduate from high school. They are 6 percentage points (19 percent) more likely to enroll in college than their same-school, same-cohort Black peers who are not assigned a Black teacher. " Teachers' effects on students of the same race has been a topic that has been studied for a long time. This is a topic many scholars want to understand how and why race can affect a student's educational outcome. Through the research done, this paper will explain how students educationally benefit from teachers of the same and how
Racial inequality in education is predominant in black students and is perpetuated further by educators. A theory that explains this could be the “hidden curriculum” theory which conditions students to believe that their cultural backgrounds must be silenced to resemble the model white student. Studies show that training educators in cultural sensitivity and establishing trust between students and teachers allows students from varying cultural backgrounds to improve in classroom settings. RACE INEQUALITY IN U.S. EDUCATION Considered the “melting pot” of the world due to its high diversity, the United States has been renowned for the varying cultures and races populating the country.