Program Trains Black Male Teachers for Preschools

The Leading Men Fellowship trains young Black and Latino men to become early literacy teachers in preschool classrooms across the United States.

The program aims to deal with several problems at the same time. First, officials say there is a shortage of educators for preschoolers. Another problem is there are few Black and Latino male teachers. And there are many problems that boys face in schools because of their race and sex.

Ivan Douglas is with the Literacy Lab based in Washington, D.C. It is a noNPRofit group that operates the Leading Men Fellowship, which started in 2016.

Douglas said, “We're not only affecting change in the classroom with these school students, but (we're) also developing these young future educators.”

One of the fellows in the program is Davontez Johnson. He is 19 years old and is currently gaining experience in a preschool at Dorothy I. Heights Elementary in Baltimore, Maryland.

Fellows like Johnson are recruited after they finish high school. After a summer of intensive training, they go to work in school earning between $16.50 and $18 an hour.

Johnson is unusual. He is a former high school offensive lineman in American football. It is a position held by the biggest players on the team. Some parents say he looks out of place in a classroom.

Federal government information says that less than one percent of elementary and early education schoolteachers are Black men.

Johnson said that is part of the reason he wanted to teach preschoolers.

“I really thought it was a great opportunity. Because I know if I saw someone like me, you know, in pre-K, I'd be pretty excited,” Johnson said.

Black teachers can help Black students

The Associated Press (AP) recently reported on the Leading Men Fellowship. The AP says there is growing evidence that Black teachers can help Black students—especially boys. For example, boys are more likely than girls to be expelled from school.

Some people are saying that having teachers of the same race is important for young Americans. The AP says there is research showing Black students who have at least one Black teacher are more likely to graduate from high school and less likely to get suspended or expelled.

The AP says research suggests that training found at historically Black colleges might be part of developing an effective teacher. A recent study of elementary school students in North Carolina, for example, said Black students performed better in math when taught by a teacher trained at an HBCU, or a historically black college or university.

Nicholas Papageorge is an economist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He said his research shows that Black teachers have higher expectations of Black students than non-Black teachers. His research also suggests that Black students who have a Black teacher are less likely to drop out of high school and more likely to attend college.

The preschool classroom

Leading Men fellow Johnson has found that singing and dancing are a big part of preschool education. He has been told that children learn best through repetition and when they can link information with movements and music.

Bridget Jeffreys has Johnson working in her preschool classroom. She said she has been watching Johnson grow more confident with her students. “It was so beautiful because usually you don't see men really get down to the child level,” Jeffreys said. She said the children see him as a “big kid.”

Johnson is also studying political science at the University of Maryland Global Campus. He hopes to go into politics. But at this time, his fellow teachers want him to stick with teaching.

On a recent October day, Johnson worked individually with students to help them write their names. During free-play time, he helped a student who was making an impression of a leaf on paper.

She looked to him for approval and support for her work.

“You've done a wonderful job,” Johnson told her.

I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.

Moriah Balingit reported this story for the Associated Press. Mario Ritter, Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English.

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literacy –n. the ability to read at a necessary level

recruit –v. to get someone to join an organization or group

confident –adj. to believe you are able to do something; to be sure of one's abilities

stick with –v. (phrasal) to continue to do something for a long period of time