Real Talk on Recruiting, Sustaining, and Retaining Male Educators of Color

Why It Matters, and How to Do It Right

Dr. Shelley Rouser, Education Department Chair at Delaware State University will curate our Monthly Monday Conversation with a powerful group of black and brown male educators sharing diverse perspectives on strategies to create school cultures that attract and retain men in the classroom in a barbershop-style dialogue.

Currently, black males represent 2% of the teacher workforce. What set of conditions must be present to increase the presence of black males in public education? What are the components of the ecosystem that keeps them in the profession? What are various pathways to a career in education? What challenges do black male teachers face? All students' lives are enriched by the opportunity to be taught and mentored by black and brown men.

Session Curator: Dr. Shelley Rouser, Department Chair, Education, Delaware State University

Panel Facilitator: Dr. Jack Perry, Partner, The New Teacher Project (TNTP)

Panelists:

Dr. Shelley Rouser serves as Chair of the Education Department at Delaware State University. She is also alumni of DSU, where she earned both her bachelor's degree in social studies education and master's degree in curriculum and instruction. Prior to her role as a professor and chair, Dr. Rouser started her career as a teacher and instructional specialist, before later serving as a district and state administrator in Delaware's K12 system, where she directed curriculum, instruction, and professional development initiatives. Her work at Delaware State University and with various community organizations is grounded in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Dr.Jack Perry supports leadership development and school improvement work, external and internal diversity, equity, and inclusion work, and TNTP’s teacher pipeline, diversity, and retention work both locally and nationally. Jack frequently leads TNTP’s Conscious Inclusion training series and supports cultural proficiency internally and externally. Prior to joining TNTP, Jack served as Deputy Chief of Academic Enrichment for the School District of Philadelphia, where he oversaw the Arts, Physical Education, Athletics, Gifted and Black Male Initiatives. Jack holds a B.S. in Sociology from Southern Connecticut State University and a Master of Social Work from the University of Connecticut. He earned a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Southern Connecticut State University.

Dorrell Green's career started as a teacher at Bancroft and Stubbs Elementary Schools, before he transitioned to administration as an Assistant Principal at Bayard Elementary School, and then Principal of Harlan Elementary School. Green transitioned to district leadership when he was named the Director of Elementary Education and Title I Services and following, Assistant Superintendent of the Brandywine School District. Green later joined the Delaware Department of Education (DOE) as the Director of Innovation and Improvement. He currently serves as Superintendent of the Red Clay Consolidated School District. Green earned his degree in elementary education and his master's degree in educational leadership from University of Delaware. He is currently pursuing his Doctor of Education degree in Organizational Leadership from Wilmington University.

Homar Jaimes Rodríguez is a Health and PE Teacher, grades 6-8, at West Middle School in North Carolina. He is currently a graduate student in the MA Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) program at DSU, and will graduate in May, 2021. He earned his undergraduate degree from DSU in May 2020. Mr. Rodriguez is a DREAMer and DACA recipient, and in his words: "I am a racial and social justice warrior."

Wade Inge II is a sophomore at Delaware State University from New Jersey who recently made the decision to become a teacher. He is studying Physical education at DSU. Wade is also on the football team at Delaware State University. He is a proud Hornet and particularly proud to be on the football team and to be a physical education major.

Dr. Roderick Carey is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Delaware. His current interdisciplinary research serves to make sense of the school experiences of Black and Latino adolescent boys and young men in urban contexts. Dr. Carey is the Founder and Director of the Black Boys Mattering Project, a unique secondary school partnership study that investigates how adolescent Black Boys and young men articulate their mattering across multiple school and social domains. Dr. Carey received his Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration on Minority and Urban Education, from the University of Maryland College Park; his Ed.M. in Human Development and Psychology from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education; and his B.A. in Secondary Education and English from the Lynch School of Education and Human Development of Boston College.

Ernest Blackwell is the Founder & CEO of Equity and Beyond (E&B), which strives to build a community of leaders who can lead collective equitable efforts in their organizations. Prior to founding Equity and Beyond, Mr. Blackwell was a founding director of Urban Teachers Dallas-Fort Worth, serving as the Director of Program & Partnerships and Diversity Equity & Inclusion Officer; a K12 Director with Pearson; and a co-founder of Men of Tomorrow, a group focused on mentorship. In 2009, he joined Teach for America to teach elementary education in Wilmington, DE. Ernest earned his BA in Political Science and Economics from Duquesne University and completed his MEd in Elementary Education at Wilmington University and MBA at the University of Texas.

Dr. Shanta Reynolds graduated from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore with a B.A. in Social Science Education. He received his Master’s in Educational Technology and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Delaware. He has been an educator (teacher, district specialist, and assistant principal) in the New Castle County Vocational Technical School District (NCCVT) for twenty years. For the last eight years, he has served as the principal of St. Georges Technical High School. In 2020, he was named Delaware Principal of the Year.