Date of Award
5-2023
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Program
Educational Administration
Department
Educational Administration
Major Professor
Elizabeth Jeffers
Second Advisor
Christopher Broadhurst
Third Advisor
David LaViscount
Abstract
Only 18% of the nation's teaching force are minorities, with 2% being Black male teachers (National Center for Education Statistics, 2013). Black educators have the lowest retention rate and the highest departure rate (Snyder et al., 2014). There is limited empirical research that explores turnover patterns and organizational conditions that impact Black male educators’ decisions to remain in the field (Achinstein et al., 2010; Johnson et al., 2005; Kirby et al., 1999). As a result, this qualitative study is imperative in that it contributes to a body of literature that explores aspects and experiences of Black male teachers in K-12 classrooms. Utilizing the late historian, Clyde Woods' (2017) concept of the blues epistemology, which illustrates the African American identity as one rooted in the tradition of resistance to the antebellum plantation regime, this qualitative study sought to better understand how Black male teachers navigate workplace experiences and how organizational conditions impact retention. Data collection included personal essays and interviews. This dissertation contributes to the literature that explores how organizational school conditions impact retention, but more importantly, this study highlights elements of the decision-making process in which the participants grappled with workplace challenges, wrestled with their professional choice, and decided to remain in the classroom for one of the following reasons: their connection with students, collegial support, or their belief that teaching is their vocation.
Recommended Citation
Brookins, Mtichell, "A Cultural Legacy of Resiliency: Black Male Teacher Retention in K-12 Classrooms" (2023). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 3078.
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/3078
Rights
The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.