Parents and PGCPS eRadio: Black Male Teacher Recruitment in PGCPS and Beyond

William E. Rogers, host of Parents and PGCPS eRadio will explore the topic of African American Male Teacher Recruitment  on January 22, 2014 at 7;30pm EST with his guests Prince George’s County Board of Education member, Curtis Valentine  and Stanford Amos, Founder and CEO of Save our Sons.

Research has shown there is a dearth of males currently in the teaching profession. While the data varies, it typically indicates less than 10% of the teaching population is male. The percentages drop dramatically when one examines the paucity of African American males in the teaching profession. Today, the African American male makes up less than 2% of those teaching in the United States.

According to Duncan, African-American and Hispanic men make up only 3.5 percent of the nation's teachers.

According to Dr. Chance Lewis in his interview with Living Education eMagazine (2011)  he believes there are four main advantages to having African American males in the classroom and the value they bring.

1. Having an African American in the classroom breaks the stereotype that teaching is only women’s work
2. African American male teachers have the potential to connect with certain kids in a way that they can be strong teachers and strong disciplinarians, as well as instructional innovators
3. Research shows that white students and black students do better on their state academic exams whey they have some teacher of their own race during that particular academic year
4. African American male teachers can also use cultural relevant teaching techniques that will inspire students, especially students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds