Establishing a Community of Support For Black Women Math Teachers

• In Event: Intersectional Perspectives and Transformative Educational Practices of Girls and Women of Color

Abstract

Mathematics teachers are in high demand and there are not enough qualified teachers to meet demand (Edwards et al., 2023). At the same time, Black representation in teaching has been on the decline since 1990 (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2017) with Black female mathematics teachers having the highest rate of turnover (Neil, 2015). With such few Black, specifically Black women, mathematics teachers available in such a high demand discipline, the conditions are ripe for creating “Onlies” where Black women mathematics teachers are few or the only in their schools and districts left to deal with the pressures they encounter without adequate support.
Historical accounts of the significant and unique impact of Black women teachers have been documented (Aledejebi, 2021; Dilliard, 2021; Ramsey, 2008; Starks & Cosby, in press). And racial microaggressions and racialized structures and practices remain significant factors in the experiences of Black mathematics teachers today (Frank et al, 2019; Frank, et al, 2021). Nascent research centering the stories of Black women mathematics teachers and the stances they take in resisting and disrupting racialization find that personal accountability, being a role model, and ethics of care mattered most to their liberatory stance (McVicar, 2024).
One way to support teachers of color in this current climate is through the use of racial affinity groups which are spaces of learning, healing, and professional development and growth (Pour-Khorsid, 2018). We took a Sista Circle methodological approach to establish a racialized - gendered affinity group for Black women mathematics teachers to help combat the impacts of being an “only”. This methodology supports the creation of a space for Black girls and women to openly and authentically reflect on their experiences (Dunmeyer et al., 2023). We asked: What aspects of their professional lives do Black women pre-service and in-service mathematics teachers establish a community around and support one another in?
We recruited three 5th grade through high school mathematics teachers and two secondary pre-service teachers all identifying as Black women. Data includes recordings of 10 group sections and eight semi-structured interviews throughout the year. During our group sessions, we discussed Choosing to See (Seda & Brown, 2021), played games, discussed educational Hot Topics, and engaged in self-care activities. We conducted a thematic analysis of the data and found that it was not wholly possible to disentangle the teachers' professional lives from their personal lives. Their support for one another permeated multiple aspects of their lives ranging from work-life balance to parenting and significantly centered mental health and well-being. The most salient aspects that the women bonded around were concerning the sociopolitical aspects of Black womanhood, the role of standardized tests in teacher evaluation, and complicated relationships with school administration. This study is significant because it extends current knowledge through a longitudinal study of community building across pre-service and in-service Black women mathematics teachers. Subsequent data collection and analysis can help the field learn more about the formation of such groups and their impact on recruitment, retention, and personal and professional growth.

Authors

• Missy D. Cosby, University of Tennessee

• Tiffaney Kyle, University of Tennessee

• Janyia Joyner, University of Tennessee