There were challenges associated with being the only black male teacher.
Black male teachers’ experience and satisfaction depended on whether they were the only black man in the school (a “Loner”) or one of many black men (a “Grouper”). Loners believed they were socially alone and disconnected from the core mission of the school. One participant noted: “It almost feels like I’m in someone else’s house, intruding.” Schools with many black male teachers were more likely to have a black principal and to be among the district’s lowest performing schools or turnaround schools.
Black male teachers are more likely to leave lower performing schools.
During interviews, teachers were asked about their decisions to stay or leave. Then, at the start of the next academic year, teachers were interviewed briefly to determine if they stayed or moved schools. Loners – those working in schools in which they were the sole black male teacher – stayed. They highlighted overall positive working conditions, specifically the school environment and students, as the two primary factors that influenced their decisions to remain at their schools. One loner, who described experiencing racial harassment by both his administrator and colleagues, noted, “I enjoy my job; it’s a good job,” but conceded: “I suspect I’m going to have some sort of challenges no matter where I go because I’m a black male.”
Groupers – black male teachers in schools where there were other black male teachers – tended to move schools and leave the profession. They cited poor working conditions as their reasons for leaving, and suggested that many of their colleagues, across all racial groups, had similar feelings. One participant, who resigned at the end of the academic year, recounted how, after he collected all cellular phones from students before the MCAS (the state test), another administrator stopped and frisked students while they were taking the exam. The participant decried, “That is a microcosm of what it’s like to go to school here…this isn’t a prison. We can’t treat our kids like they are criminals… I’m just done.”