TMI Research Manager
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Understanding how Black educators create effective learning environments for Black students is key to narrowing the opportunity gap that many groups of students — including students of color, special education students, and students who are English language learners — experience in school.
Black educators improve outcomes for their Black and non-Black students alike by using specific strategies, each of which is key to educational equity.
If given the proper training and support, non-Black educators can also employ these strategies and create similar relationships with their students.
This research builds on existing research showing the positive educational outcomes associated with having a Black teacher and examines the practices Black educators use to create positive educational benefits for students.
The author interviewed a national sample of Black educators 0n how teachers can promote educational equity, support students dealing with trauma, and increase engagement and success among students currently underserved by the education system.
By focusing specifically on the experiences of Black students, including those who live in low-income households or have disabilities, the report highlights the institutional practices that can help address educational disparities for the most underserved students and advance the creation of a public school system that educates all students.
Centering the voices of the individuals most impacted by racism is a tested approach to providing policy solutions for inequity, and this research’s focus Black students adds to a body of scholarship to uncover power dynamics and racial injustices within schools to construct better education policy.
This report identifies four policy recommendations that can be implemented on local, state, and federal levels to move the United States closer to the promise of Brown v. Board of Education of equal education for all:
The contributions that Black educators make benefit Black and non-Black students, schools, and the nation. Black educators are vital assets in improving educational outcomes, creating a more positive school climate, and preparing the next generation to create a more just and inclusive society.
Education decision-makers and the broader public must pay attention to the voices, needs, and experiences of Black educators during this pivotal moment in history. The response can either extinguish or preserve one of the country’s greatest educational assets.
