Beyond the Numbers: Black Male Mathematics Teachers and Their Transformative Impact on Student Trajectories

• In Event: Black Feminist Ways of Knowing in Teaching and Learning

Abstract

This paper explores the experiences and perceptions of Black male teachers. Approximately 80% of boys in Detroit are Black (Data Driven Detroit, 2022), and the scarcity of Black male mathematics teachers means that during critical identity formation periods, Black boys rarely see themselves represented in mathematics education. This representation gap is particularly concerning given that only 10% of Detroit’s 8th-grade students meet mathematics state standards (Data Driven Detroit, 2022).
The national teacher shortage is especially acute for Black males in mathematics, where the stakes for students may be highest (Perna, 2024). While Black students constitute about 15% of the US school population, only 1.3% of US teachers are Black males (Black Male Educators Alliance, n.d.; USA Facts, 2023), reflecting a 5.2% decrease since the 2017-2018 school year. For this study, I plan to analyze identity formation and pinpoint the specific impacts Black male math teachers have on Black male students.

Author

• Antwuan Williams, Wayne State University