Duncan and Obama Call for More Black Men to Become Teachers

[Hannah Bell]

At Morehouse College two days ago, Arne Duncan and filmmaker Spike Lee issued a call for more black men to become teachers. Duncan told the town hall audience that more than 1 million educators are expected to retire in the coming decade and that federal officials are hoping to harness that opportunity to create a more diverse teaching work force, noting that less than 2 per cent of the nation's 3 million teachers are black men...

Having been vilified in the press for years and sensationalized as responsible for crime, fatherless children, drug abuse, and welfare fraud, today's black man seems like an ideal candidate to become a teacher and be vilified by the press for the country's school system.

"It seems like a natural fit," said LastStand founder Myron Miner who lauded the Morehouse town hall as a way of bringing new people into teaching. With black men blamed for so many of the nation's ills for so long, they certainly have the experience needed to excel in the classroom. Plus, anybody who survived Birth of a Nation won't bat an eye at movies like Waiting for Superman.

http://laststand4children.blogspot.com/2011/02/duncan-and-obama-call-for-more-black.html

[lumberjack_jeff]

1. I hope that a big share of them decide to teach primary grades.

But the statistic seems plausible. Since only 25% of teachers are men, one would expect about 12.4% of that 25% (or 3.1%) to be black men.

[midnight]

2. Hmmm Anything Arne Duncan does not make me impressed...

[frazzled]

6. Even if you essentially agree with it, I guess

Sometime my mind is boggled by statements people make here.

Encouraging young black men to become teachers ... how is that anything one could argue with? I'm not particularly a fan of Spike Lee's either, but he's right here.

[Bluebear]

8. See #5 and see if it boggles your mind :)

[frazzled]

13. I see #5

I just don't see any facts in it.

According to this view, no one should become a teacher, whether black, Latino, white, or anything else. There's the ticket: let's start telling people not to become teachers.

[Lindsay]

3. Just don't expect any respect, job security,

benefits or a living wage.

[leftstreet]

4. omg

You gotta hand it to them though. This is brilliant, brilliant maneuvering

Who sits around and thinks this shit up?

On one of your threads a few months ago someone posted a mag cover (German? French? Maybe from London?) with a US 'Superman' Education Feature, but the cover was Obama with black basketball players. Everyone was...wtf?

omg

[Starry Messenger]

5. I love this website.

:D

Actually Duncan just did make a speech to Latino kids at LAUSD, saying the same thing, so this isn't far off the mark. It's pretty cynical to be recruiting among vulnerable populations when you know you are going to bust the union for the profession you are hawking. Of course we want a robust and diverse workforce in the teaching profession, but it has to be worth squat to attract people. Also you can't do things like applaud the publication of bogus VAM scores in the LA Times, leading to the suicide of a popular male Latino teacher and have much credibility in the community.

[Bluebear]

9. 'when you know you are going to bust the union for the profession you are hawking'

:nodding:

[Starry Messenger]

11. Cynical might not be a strong enough word actually.

Wicked, that's a good word.

[FLAprogressive]

7. And they better work for TFA/Charter Schools! More superficial Obama/Duncan "solutions".

[mrmpa]

10. I've had many an African-American student why they don't have African-American

teachers (or very few) I was honest with a number of them, if an African American has a college education, why would they want to teach when it is more economically advantageous for them to work in the private sector. Also, if they want to teach, the "richer" districts will hire these men & women so they can show diversity.

It's economics.

[Hannah Bell]

12. sure, that's why in nyc, black & latino teachers have been disproportionately affected by layoffs,

even as upper-class white & asian "teach for america" interns took their places.

simple economics.