The benefits and impact of Black Male Educators on our education system cannot be understated. Research has shown that Black Male Educators immensely improve the learning experience and academic success of Black students. The numbers paint a clear picture of the connection between black male educators and academic excellence, from low dropout rates to high SAT scores.
However, despite the numerous benefits Black Male Educators have to offer, their influence is minimal. Today, only two percent of the teaching workforce are made up of Black Male Educators.
This is not due to a lack of qualified Black Male Educators or an unwillingness of Black Male Educators to join the teaching force. The low percentage of active Black Male Educators is majorly due to the high level of discrimination in the Educational sector.
The institutional defects in the system make it difficult for Black Male Educators to get suitable employment and hinder their promotion and career growth. These conditions have forced many black male educators to abandon their teaching careers and move on to other works of life.
The few Black Male Educators that stay in the system are constantly frustrated and relegated to the sidelines, where their impact is limited and circumvented.
The road to success and the actual impact of a Black Male Educator is an upward hill filled with obstacles. In a society where many Black Fathers are incarcerated, Black Male Educators play a significant role in filling the void and offering the fatherly guidance and leadership that most black kids lack.
There is also the need to work harder and more innovative to navigate the treacherous Educational system and attain positions where real change can be activated.
Therefore, the development of leadership skills is a necessity rather than a luxury for black male educators. For Black Male Educators to properly influence their students and succeed despite the system’s hatred, they have to be beyond teachers.
For Black Male Educators to achieve, they also have to be leaders, teaching and leading simultaneously to create the bright future that their students deserve.
For Black Male Educators to fill leadership roles, they need to undergo leadership development. Leadership development is popularly defined as the process that expands the capacity and ability of leaders to perform excellently in leadership roles within their chosen field and organization.
Unfortunately, the development of leadership skills is easier said than done. Most people who go through the process of leadership development don’t become leaders in their field.
Statistics show that only about fifteen percent of traditional leadership development training influences the long-term behavior of individuals. Furthermore, two out of the three factors that influence the success of leadership development are beyond the control of Black Male Educators.
The three factors that influence the success of leadership development are:
- Characteristics and Personality Traits of the individual.
- Quality and Nature of the leadership development program
- Support behavioral change by the supervisor of individuals and an enabling environment to lead.
In most cases, black male educators aren’t granted access to leadership development programs. Furthermore, the leadership development programs available aren’t adequately suited for black male educators.
Most leadership development programs are fine-tuned towards sales, business, climbing the corporate ladder, etc. And although these programs are good, they do not cater to the needs of Black Male Educators.
To make matters worse, when Black Male Educators attain or possess leadership skills, their talents are suppressed by their supervisors and the structure of the institutions they work in. From a holistic point of view, it seems that the Black Male Educator are faced with colossal obstacles every step of the way, and hope seems so dim that it is inexistent.
However, the impact and value of the Black Male Educators are too critical that we just can’t let them go to waste. Thankfully, groups like Black Male Educators’ talk bridge the gap and pave the way for Black male Educators to glide in and save the day.
Through their programs, seminars, and platforms, Black Male Educators’ talk has succeeded in creating a forum where Black Male Educators can attain the leadership skills necessary for their success.
Beyond leadership development, the platform creates an opportunity for Black Male Educators to offer and receive guidance in their chosen field. Therefore, Black Male Educators’ talk doesn’t just help BMEs to develop leadership skills; it also gives them an enabling environment to become leaders.
Conclusion.
Across the educational sector, statistics depict the sad story of the educational condition of black students. 6.2% of black students drop out before graduating high school, and only 1.1 million black students make it into college. As of today, black students account for only 13% of the undergraduate population in colleges. However, while the numbers make the problem clear to see, the numbers also point to the solution.
Black Male Educators are the shining lights that have the potential to brighten the future of Black Kids. Black Male Educators’ Talk is at the forefront of helping Black Male Educators to fulfill that potential. We all can’t be the solution, but together we can ensure the success and improve the effectiveness of the solution
