African American Teacher Recruitment: A Case Study in Oregon

Abstract

The public school teacher population of the United States is predominantly White, while the demographics of P-12 student population continue to grow increasingly diverse. Across the nation, there has been a call for the recruitment and retention of culturally and linguistically diverse teachers. The state of Oregon passed the Oregon Educator Equity Act, originally called the Oregon Minority Teacher Act, in 1991, and with recent renewed attention, the preparation of more culturally and linguistically diverse teachers in the state has gained prominence. Refocused consideration to the lack of diversity in the teaching workforce is overdue, as evidenced by the low numbers of African Americans found in Oregon's teacher workforce. Moreover, the experiences of African American teachers are underexplored. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the factors that contributed to the successful recruitment of African American teachers, specifically graduates of a teacher pipeline program. Employing an assets-based framework, a qualitative multiple-case design was used; data analyses included open coding of interview data, a constant comparison analysis of individual cases, and cross-case analysis. The predominant themes that contributed to the success of participants in this study included, belonging, accountability, and commitment to equity. While these findings, consistent with much of the literature on achievement of students of color, are not new, this study adds African American teacher voices to the existing research on the diversification of the teacher workforce. Additionally, this dissertation highlights successful efforts made toward recruitment of teachers of color with an Oregon lens. Throughout my years in the doctoral program, I received a lot of support and worked with many incredible people. First, I am eternally grateful to the participants in this study. They spent precious time, entrusting me to share their career journeys. I am ever changed by their stories, and I am confident that their experiences will inspire others, as they have inspired me. I am also indebted to the TPP director for taking time to help me with this study; her kindness and support were indispensable and her long-term advocacy work on behalf of future teachers of color in our region is unparalleled. Second, I want to thank my committee members for their guidance and recommendations. A special thank you to Dr. Micki Caskey, for agreeing to chair my committee and for not giving up on me; her encouragement, dedication, and wisdom were invaluable. I also want to thank my doctoral student comrades, from my fellow cohort members, whom I spent two years learning with, to the students I met in classes and in the hallway next to my office-generous, intelligent, and passionate scholars. Those include Lisa Dion, Serap Emil, Donna Barrow Green, and many more. Finally, I am grateful for my loving family and friends, who helped sustain me. My husband, Dave, who was encouraging, supportive, and who listened attentively, no matter whether I wa...