Narratives of Black Male Teachers in K-12 Public Schools: Contextualizing Teacher Retention and Teaching Trajectories with Morehouse College Alumni

Abstract

The continued shortage of Black Male Teachers (BMTs) in the United States presents an opportunity to reexamine the factors that impact teacher retention among Black males in US public schools. One predominantly Black, all-male higher education institution—commonly referred to as an HBCU, which stands for Historically Black Colleges and Universities—Morehouse College, is poised to play a key role in developing a pipeline of quality BMTs for high-need public schools with the recent launch of the Morehouse Center for Excellence in Education. This mixed-methods study analyzed and explicated the complex experiences of Morehouse alumni who became K-12 public school teachers and will inform the direction of this new education program, helping to support the conditions to help it become the prototype for preparing young men of color for the layered social and economic politics they encounter as minorities in the education profession. I as the researcher used the theoretical frameworks of self-determination theory, sociocultural theory, and human capital theory to explore the narratives of Black male Morehouse College alumni who have taught in the US public school system for at least one full year. This relational inquiry engaged stories from major decision points in the men’s life journeys, including their decision to: (a) attend Morehouse College, (b) become a teacher, (c) pursue professional development or teacher certification, and (d) continue as a teacher. Through the analysis of interviews and survey data, I explored how teacher retention among Morehouse alumni is influenced by the intersections of self-motivation, professional development, and prior experience as a young male of color, including formative educational experiences.