Black Male Teachers: Recruitment to Homeownership

Income Inequality

Expand existing project, program, or initiative

One of the most significant factors in the persistent income gap between Blacks and other races in the US is that Black men are multiply-burdened by under-education, high suspension (17.6%) and expulsion rates (14%), and anti-Black racism, which lead to over incarceration and underemployment. Black male teachers, for example, represent only 2% of the national teacher workforce. Research shows when Black kids in grades 3-5 experience a Black Male teacher, achievement in both math and reading significantly increases, graduation rates increase by 39%, and the dropout rate decreases by 29% Teacher Village disrupts this cycle with an innovative approach to recruitment and retention of prospective Black male teachers who will, in turn, serve as success models for some of the most vulnerable educational demographic, young Black males.

TV is a multifaceted, multi-year program addressing the high cost of the credentialing process, difficulty of passing the praxis exam, lack of mentorship and costs of living while student teaching without pay. Our 2-year residency includes a stipend, trauma-informed care training, professional and peer mentoring, financial literacy and job placement in local schools. Unlike other programs, TV also offers affordable housing. Recruitment efforts include engaging college seniors at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and local colleges in Los Angeles to encourage them to consider a career in education. Year 1: Fellows move into housing provided by the program, participate in a pre-service Summer Institute, and then work as teaching assistants under master teachers as they earn their teaching credential through our partnerships with LAUSD and the Cal State Dominguez Hills credentialing programs. Fellows also receive TV's training, which includes financial literacy coaching. Year 2: Student teaching is done at the same school. Fellows remain in housing until credential completion at the end of this second year. Continued TV training and connection with peers in their cohort and mentors providing social and professional support that supplements their teacher training program. Participants are coached through resources and practices for first-time home owners and encouraged to work towards buying a home in the community in which they will work.

Teacher Village's goal is to improve the pipeline gap for Black male educators in Los Angeles County, which will in turn improve educational and social emotional learning outcomes for all children, and especially Black male children. Over the next ten years, TV will reach full capacity, training 10, 1st year fellows and 10, 2nd year fellows, at a time. This will yield 100 new, fully credentialed and experienced Black male teachers by 2033. 100% of the Black male teachers will have successfully completed the TV training, will be debt free from their credentialing program and be homeowners living in the neighborhoods they serve by their 3rd-5th year of teaching. Finally, increasing the number of Black male teachers will improve school climate and achievement. Specifically, we expect a significant increase in Black students meeting both literacy and math benchmarks and, eventually, an increase in graduation rates for the students who matriculate through school with our teachers.

For TV, success looks like fully credentialed educators in the classroom who become homeowners within three 3 years of becoming credentialed. In the next year, we are measuring success by the following: 15 Teaching Village fellows will complete their teaching credential. 15 fellows will complete the 6 modules of the Components of Care training. 15 Black educators can see a pathway for leadership system wide in public schools 10 new fellows will be recruited into the Teacher Village in 2025 TV leadership will establish and nurture relationships with key stakeholders (e.g. Education policy makers at the state and local levels, California Teacher Credentialing, and Universities with teacher ed programs) to ensure dedicated funding to strengthen the recruitment and retention of pre-service for the Black educator pipeline. TV securing additional housing for its fellows so they can live in the neighborhoods they serve while completing TVI's program and working toward their credential.