Preservice Teacher Voices on Increasing the Numbers and Retention of Black Teachers to Improve Student Educational Opportunity in Public Schools

Abstract

Research has shown that Black teachers are instrumental in improved Black student achievement and assist immensely in mitigating the rising exclusionary tendencies Black students find themselves in in public schools. Yet, the percentage of Black teachers in public schools is either not improving or remains stagnant at about 7%. The purpose of this study therefore was to find out why we have a very low percentage of Black teachers in public K-12 school environments and what can be done to increase the percentage of Black teachers in public K-12 environments. Forty-six pre-service teachers completed questions related to the three areas. The study found that issues of teacher salaries, Black students not completing college, and poor working conditions were some of the reasons for the low percentage of Black teachers in public education. As policy makers explore strategies to bringing more minority individuals into teaching, this research offers some insights on what needs to be done to increase the numbers.