Black teachers get raw deal in Huffington Post's article

Johnson as Tubman in 2004 school play

"Ain't I a woman; ain't I a good teacher?"

A study of 8th graders in 198 Title I Texas schools conducted by a Black, University of Houston doctoral student was reported in the Huffington Post last week. The article was entitled, "Black Teachers Not the Best Choice For Black Students, Study Finds" but was changed to "Black Teachers May Not Be Best For Black Students, Study Finds" after complaints were made.

(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/11/black-teachers-may-not-be_n_1587896.html)

The article tends to give the impression that Black students do not necessarily fare better when taught by African American teachers. NO RESPECT! This article about the research is a stab at the qualifications, preparedness and teaching styles of Black teachers as well as their ability to "teach to the test" in order to help Black students achieve. Once you start insinuating that black teachers are inadequate for one group of kids, that puts into question their ability to teach any child. And we should all know where that open door could lead.

My own story
My first teachers were Black - my mom and dad. My maternal grandmother taught me how to sew. My nursery school teachers were all Black at Alabama A&M Normal College. My kindergarten teacher was Black. They all gave me an excellent educational foundation. My favorite teacher in college is Black. I am Black.

These teachers gave me a love for learning and such a respect for the profession. After noticing that my own  children's schools had no Black teachers, I decided to become a substitute teacher to change the complexion of their classrooms.  I thought teaching in middle and high schools would be a piece of cake since I was a former educational television producer, college English instructor, and Upward Bound teacher.

While a supply and substitute teacher in 15 schools in Cobb County, Ga., it seemed to me that I was not given much "respect" when it came to being taken seriously by the students or the administration. At first I thought some students were just trying to "get over" on "THE SUBSTITUTE," but then it appeared that I was only treated that way by a minority of students. Was I being too sensitive?

I worked hard for Cobb County Schools while my own three children were growing up, and I feel I went beyond the call of duty, even played Harriet Tubman in a play I wrote for Black History Month at McCleskey Middle School! I wasn't paid extra for the role I played, but volunteered because I thought I was doing something good for the betterment of the whole student body, not just Black students. But I had a special concern for Black students because I am ole school and am Black myself!

Teaching has its challenges. On one occasion, a high school football player, who I found out later was the son of a Black middle school principal, got a pass to the bathroom and never came back to class. Another Black special needs student said she had an appointment with the guidance counselor, and when I asked for her pass, she started acting a fool, and I had to call security. Another student who did poorly on an exam threatened me in the hallway and came back to the classroom afterwards. Thank God for those warning buzzers!

I wondered whether those students acted that way because they felt I wasn't qualified, or I didn't know the rules, or they saw me as a pushover. I wondered whether they just were not used to dealing with Black teachers in a predominately white school system, or whether they just didn't like me (respect me) because I was Black.

Whether they liked me or not, high academic standards are not measured by popularity or race, and research on issues revolving around achievement gaps should be approached with caution and thoroughly documented.

Asst. Principal Walter Hunt

Hunt's research
“As an administrator of a campus that fits the criteria of a Title I school, I wanted to look at minority student achievement in a low socio-economic environments, which can have a profound impact on campuses that are receiving federal funds.  So my focus was on the teachers,”  said Walter Hunt, a Houston-area assistant principal who performed the original research while a doctoral student at University of Houston’s Executive Education in Professional Leadership.

Hunt studied 2010 eighth-grade math and reading scores from the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) tests and compared scores of 8th grade African-American and Caucasian students with campuses of large and small percentages of African-American teachers.

“There has often been a preconceived notion that the staff make-up should resemble the student body population, and this has often directed recruitment and hiring efforts among building principals. At first glance, it would appear that teacher race doesn’t matter when addressing student achievement of minority students, but there are many layers involved when analyzing achievement of a middle-school student, such as racial identity, self-identity, age, involvement in school activities,” he said.

“In this particular study, I was surprised to see that the campuses with more African-American teachers did not have the highest African-American student achievement.  This just goes to show that having a positive impact on students is a complex, multi-layered process.”

Hunt himself deemed his research incomplete as evident by the university's press release. (http://www.uh.edu/news-events/stories/672012CofEDAfAm.php) His study suggests next steps that include a broader examination of other middle school grades, as well as high school, that looks at the relationship between academic achievement of Hispanic students and the percentage of Hispanic teachers.  He also suggests a broadening of the study to include social studies and science TAKS scores.

“I think the program has helped to prepare me for the challenges that I will encounter as an educator in public education in the 21^st-century,” Hunt said.  “The program’s design not only exposed me to research-tested theory, but focused on real-world application that is unmatched by other programs.”  

When asked about his opinion on the Huffington Post's analysis of the research, Dr. William Darity of Duke University wanted to know, "Did they control for the racial composition of the student body and the extent of racialized tracking in the schools?"

How do you feel about this issue? Please leave a comment.

©2012 Tomi Johnson. All rights reserved.