When we join together — families, educators and community leaders — we can create learning environments where every student can learn and grow. But for far too long, certain policymakers and administrators have dismissed and discriminated against, Black, brown and Indigenous educators, denying our neighborhood schools the diverse perspectives and cultures of care that our students deserve. Across race and place, educators and allies are coming together -Black, brown, Asian, Native and newcomer– to make education justice real for all of us -no exceptions.
Podcast: Too Dope Teachers and a Mic – They Don’t Know Who We Be – Evaluations and BIPOC Teachers
Evaluations are a loaded and emotional experience for all teachers, but the biases and assumptions that BIPOC teachers, especially Black teachers, have even more dire consequences. We sit down and discuss a number of studies regarding the evaluations and teachers of color, and call upon administrators, coaches, and other teacher evaluators to recognize the fraught situation that is the yearly appraisal.
It comes down to the lyrics of DMX’s “Who We Be,” because for many teachers of color, their leaders don’t know…who we be. Take heed: this disruptive episode will ask you to re-think how you coach your teachers in general, but especially your teachers of color.
Additional Resources:
- Resources for Recruiting Black Educators
NEA - The Radical Imagination of Black Educators: Past and Future Directions for the Education Justice Movement
SchottFoundation.org, September 30, 2020 - Diversifying the Teaching Profession: How to Recruit and Retain Teachers of Color
Learning Policy Institute, April 19, 2018 - Want to Support Black Students? Invest in Black Teachers
Time, August 11, 2020 - Recruiting and Retaining Teachers of Color: Why It Matters, Ways to Do It
Education Week, June 30, 2020 - Back to School: A Survival Guide For Teachers Of Color
SolidarityWOC.com, August 31, 2017