Mentoring Teachers in an Urban School District: Black Mentors and White Mentees

• In Event: 207 - Section on Sociology of Education Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 16. Teacher Hiring and Retention

Abstract

Mentoring Teachers in an Urban School District: Black Mentors and White Mentees

This paper presents the results of a qualitative interview study of six pairs of mentor-mentee teachers in an urban school. In every case, the veteran mentor is a black woman and the mentee is a white woman. All teachers are employed in an urban school system that is 80% black students with a majority of teachers and a majority of administrators who identify as black. At the time of the study, the superintendent of the district was also a black woman. The study sought to understand issues of race consciousness in mentor pairs and the ways that it interacted with the mentoring relationship. Race was recognized as a powerful director of action and effectiveness by the white teachers who believed that their race was an impediment to success. These women resistant the counsel of their black mentors, noting that the suggested approaches to classroom management and student interaction would not work for a white teacher. The black mentors did not experience any issues of race within their schools, nor did they agree with the white teachers that classroom management strategies were related to race of teacher and race of student. None of the mentor-mentee pairs discussed race with each other. White teachers believed it was a sensitive issue and did not feel comfortable raising any issues related to race and black mentors believed there were no issues related to race.

Authors

• Charol Shakeshaft, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Wendi Moss, Virginia Commonwealth University