They decided to be educators : a study of African American male experiences in the K-12 education system

Author

Sherry Reynolds-Whitaker

Publication Date

2015

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Gyant, LaVerne, 1950-

Degree Name

Ed.D. (Doctor of Education)

Legacy Department

Counseling, Adult and Higher Education

LCSH

African American teachers--Attitudes; Public schools; Educational equalization; African Americans--Education; Higher education; African American studies; Teacher education

Abstract

This is a study of African American male teachers' experiences in K-12 schools across multiple states and school districts. The research explores the motivation of African American male teachers to consider a career in teaching; the challenges they faced in the teacher education programs and in the classroom; their support systems that they had from beginning of the education journey to today; and how they actually described the experiences of being an African American male teacher in urban, suburban, and other settings within the K-12 learning environment, including understanding the underlying forces that affected these teachers' decisions to change careers or to stay in their current schools or the teaching profession altogether. This qualitative study obtained data from ten African American male teachers by using an in-depth interview structure with 22 open-ended questions that lasted 50-90 minutes. This dissertation builds on the growing literature that investigates the shortage of minorities in education and how improving diversity in the classroom can change school dynamics that affect the pathways into the teaching profession, recruiting, retaining and experiences of African American male teachers.

Comments

Advisors: LaVerne Gyant.||Committee members: Jorge Jeria; Lee C. Rush.

Recommended Citation

Reynolds-Whitaker, Sherry, "They decided to be educators : a study of African American male experiences in the K-12 education system" (2015). Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations. 6442.
https://huskiecommons.lib.niu.edu/allgraduate-thesesdissertations/6442

Extent

211 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text