Supporting Prospective Black Teachers’ Development through #BlackTeachersMatter
Location
PARB 126 (First Floor)
Proposal Track
Research Project
Session Format
Presentation
Abstract
Black teachers account for only 7% of public school educators, while 15% of U.S. public school students identify as Black. (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2022). A focus on humane and just retention strategies for Black teachers is non-negotiable if we are committed to reimagining and restructuring schools in ways that recognize the value of Black lives. Our student organization, Black Teachers Matter (BTM), attempts to engage and retain prospective Black teachers by creating spaces where they can bring their unapologetic full selves and expose them to practices that promote healing through self-care, strategies for advocacy, and support to become critical pedagogues. In this session, we share results from a study examining prospective Black teachers’ involvement in BTM. Research questions focused on students' desire to join BTM, how affinity spaces can cultivate wellness and activism, and how engagement in BTM supported the development of critical consciousness. We organize our findings to our questions across four domains: gen ed courses, teacher ed courses, field placements, and social/residential life. Findings indicate that BTM not only supports their journey to graduation but also provides tools future educators can implement in their classrooms.
Keywords
Student Affinity Groups, Black Teacher Development, Critical Teacher Preparation
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Id-Deen, Lateefah; Myers, Marrielle; Floyd, Chandra; and Ford, Jillian, "Supporting Prospective Black Teachers’ Development through #BlackTeachersMatter" (2022). Georgia Educational Research Association Conference. 3.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gera/2022/2022/3
Supporting Prospective Black Teachers’ Development through #BlackTeachersMatter
PARB 126 (First Floor)
Black teachers account for only 7% of public school educators, while 15% of U.S. public school students identify as Black. (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2022). A focus on humane and just retention strategies for Black teachers is non-negotiable if we are committed to reimagining and restructuring schools in ways that recognize the value of Black lives. Our student organization, Black Teachers Matter (BTM), attempts to engage and retain prospective Black teachers by creating spaces where they can bring their unapologetic full selves and expose them to practices that promote healing through self-care, strategies for advocacy, and support to become critical pedagogues. In this session, we share results from a study examining prospective Black teachers’ involvement in BTM. Research questions focused on students' desire to join BTM, how affinity spaces can cultivate wellness and activism, and how engagement in BTM supported the development of critical consciousness. We organize our findings to our questions across four domains: gen ed courses, teacher ed courses, field placements, and social/residential life. Findings indicate that BTM not only supports their journey to graduation but also provides tools future educators can implement in their classrooms.
