The United Negro College Fund has released a new report outlining best practices for educating future teachers attending historically Black colleges and universities. The report was created in partnership with Huston-Tillotson University in Texas, Alabama A&M University, Albany State University in Georgia, and Fayetteville State University in North Carolina, all of which are listed in the top 25 four-year HBCUs for Black teacher education.
According to the United Negro College Fund, HBCUs are only 3 percent of United States colleges and universities, yet they account for 15 percent of all Black graduates, and 50 percent of all Black educators. The organization notes that Black teacher education is crucial to the success of Black students, as their presence as role models for these students has shown to improve their grades, reading and math state exam scores, graduation rates, and college enrollment rates.
“Black teachers are essential to Black students’ educational, social, and emotional development. Yet, Black teachers only make up 7 percent of teachers in America,” said Keeley Copridge, senior research associate at the United Negro College Fund’s Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute. “To meet the diversification of America’s P-12 system, it is essential that we strengthen the Black teacher pipeline. Historically Black colleges and universities are critical conduits in the Black teacher pipeline.”
In their report, the research team describes the recruitment, curricular, and co-curricular practices that are implemented at the four participating HBCUs and how those practices strengthen the Black teacher pipeline. The report outlines community partnerships, professional development opportunities, and culturally-relevant curriculums that have been successful at the four institutions, in hope that other HBCUs can adopt similar practices.
