The Male Factor: The Impact of Identity Development on Recruiting and Retaining Black Male Educators

• In Event: Persistent, Consistent, and Insistent: Advancing Black Males' Educational Research

Abstract

Famed educator Rita Pierson said, “Every child deserves a champion, an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can be.” A key factor in academic achievement for school dependent students, particularly Black males in P-12 settings, is an educator that creates a classroom environment that is culturally proficient and provides consistent exposure to role models that not only look like them, but have an ability to relate to their experiences (Jackson, 2011). The findings of this study reveal the importance of gender and social identity development in the recruitment and retention of Black male educators in a large, Southeastern urban school district.

Author

• Denelle Wallace-Alexander, Norfolk State University