Courtesy of Bowie State University
Hundreds of Thousands of Black Male Students Are at Risk.
How do we motivate and prepare young Black males for the teaching profession and provide current Black male teachers with the tools and knowledge they need to be effective educators in 2022? That’s why the Center for Research and Mentoring of Black Male Students and Teachers (CRM-BMST) at Bowie State University has introduced The Black Male Educator and Pedagogy Professional Learning Series, a new five-part program that is dedicated to the pedagogical, or learning and development of Black Male teacher candidates and current educators.
Black males are not succeeding in our public schools and are dropping out at much higher rate than any other group of male students. Data from The National Center for Education Statistics shows that the dropout rate of 6.8 percent is higher for male black 16 – 24-year-olds versus the rate for Black females of 4.3 percent. Black males are also four times as likely as their white peers to be held in juvenile facilities.
Dr. Julius L. Davis, associate professor of education and founding director of the CRM-BMST at Bowie State, believes there is a direct correlation between a lack of Black male teachers, dropout rates and Black males in our state and federal prison systems.
“The majority of the young black boys and young men who become prison statistics never saw a black male teacher as a role model and someone they could trust,” said Dr. Davis. “Our Pedagogy Professional Level 1 Learning Series bridges a gap and will introduce current and future Black male teachers to five pedagogical approaches including humanizing, Afrocentricity, culturally relevant/responsive pedagogy, social justice, and hip-hop to help them better understand how to effectively teach Black male students in today’s world.”
Upon completion of the five learning modules, participants will receive a Level 1 Black Male educator pedagogy certificate. Level 2 requires Black men to take an in depth look at one of the five pedagogical approaches, and Level 3 focuses on Black men demonstrating mastery of the Level 2 pedagogy. Participants will also receive a certificate upon completion of Levels 2 and 3 of professional learning.
“Our goal is to help better prepare current students and educators with the tools they need to be successful when teaching Black male students,” said Dr. Davis. “Time is running out and we can’t afford to lose a generation of boys and young men.”
