Our World Needs Black Teachers
How old were you when you had your first Black teacher? How many Black teachers did you have throughout your schooling? According to the U.S. Department of Education, only 7% of American teachers are Black.
Black teachers impact Black students’ educational development by serving as role models, improving their academic experience, improving graduation and college enrollment rates, increasing Black students reading and mathematics state scores, and increasing end-of-year grades. Black teachers impact all children in their classrooms by creating inclusive learning environments and providing culturally responsive teaching that caters to all learning styles.
The Historical Disruption of the Black Teacher Pipeline
Brown v. Board
The Brown v. Board of Education decision led to the closure of many Black schools, resulting in significant job losses for Black educators and a lasting impact on the Black teacher pipeline. For more historical context of this disruption, watch the video below produced by students in the Department of Film and Media Studies at the University of Kansas.
Rebuilding the Black Teacher Pipeline: Cultivating Culturally Responsive Educators
Our mission at the UCR School of Education is to advance equitable educational systems and practices which are driven by core values of equity, evidence, excellence, community, critical thinking, and compassion. The Teacher Education Program prepares aspiring teachers to serve schools through social justice oriented, community engaged frameworks. Thus, we are committed to raising awareness and creating educational environments and programs that honor the legacy of Black teachers and the affirming spaces they built - not only for Black students, but for all students. These legacies offer important lessons for all educators, reminding us to value and sustain the types of learning environments that have been disrupted by both historical and ongoing breaks in the Black Teacher Pipeline. This work is essential to benefit all the children in the Southern California region.
We aim to recruit Teacher Candidates that show capacity and potential for valuing and upholding the disrupted Black teacher legacy of culturally responsive teaching principles, and support them as they move through our program to ensure that they become the teachers our children need.
If you are interested in teaching, please connect with us today by contacting Yvette Hayes at yvette.hayes@ucr.edu