Presenters: Dr. Lena Walton and Dr. Samantha L. Strachan Approaches to Improving Minority Male Participation in Teacher Education: One HBCU as an Example Presenters: Dr. Lena Walton and Dr. Samantha L. Strachan COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, HUMANITIES, AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY SHEEO SUMMIT BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA

Overview of Presentation Introduction and Background Information Minority Males at Alabama A&M University Discussing the “Leaking Pipeline” AAMU’s Approaches to Mitigating Teacher Shortages Concluding Thoughts on AAMU Question & Answer

Introduction and Background Alabama A&M University Located in Normal, Alabama Historically Black College/University (HBCU) Land Grant Institution Serves Approximately 6,000 Students Bachelors, Masters, Specialists, and Doctoral Degree Programs Four Colleges and a School of Graduate Studies

Introduction and Background Department of Teacher Education and Leadership (TEL) Housed in the College of Education, Humanities, and Behavioral Sciences Programs Approved by the Alabama State Department of Education Reaccredited by CAEP in 2019 Programs offered at the Undergraduate and Graduate levels

Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Program Offerings Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Collaborative Education-Elementary  Collaborative Education-Secondary  Early Childhood Education  Elementary Education  Instructional Leadership Concentrations in the following areas:         Biology Chemistry English Language Arts Family and Consumer Sciences General Social Science General Science         Mathematics         Music Physical Education          

Minority Males at AAMU Third leading producer of African American Male Teachers in Alabama. 25-30% of completers Primarily from Secondary Education (Science, Mathematics, Social Science), Physical Education, Music Education Completers obtain teaching positions in local school districts (Huntsville City Schools, Madison City Schools, Madison County Schools) and out of state.

Diversity and The “Leaking Pipeline” Will, M. (2016). U.S. Ed. Dept. report finds decreasing diversity across teacher pipeline. Retrieved from http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/teaching_ now/2016/05/teacher_diversity_report.html

Discussion Question #1 How Does your Organization Approach Improving Minority Male Participation in Teacher Education?

Approach #1: Establishing Strong Partnerships Solidifying District and Community Partnerships District and Community Partnership Day Stakeholders are invited to AAMU’s campus to learn more about programs. Provide essential feedback to improve programs and policies. Maintain or create new connections that can be valuable for recruitment of new candidates. Openly discuss strategies to retain candidates in teacher education.

Approach #1: Establishing Strong Partnerships cont. Community College Partners Intermittent meetings to discuss recruitment and retention of transfer students. Establish or maintain pipeline that allow for easy transfer of students from community colleges to AAMU. AGSC STARS agreement between community colleges and four year institutions.

Discussion Question #2 What Type of Partnerships Can Your Organization Capitalize on to Engage Minority Males in the Teaching Profession?

Approach #2: AAMU and State Legislature Teacher Education Taskforce Initiative established after a meeting with state representatives. Purpose of meeting was to identify ways in which teacher shortages could be mitigated. Consortium of three universities (including AAMU) established to improve teacher recruitment and retention. AAMU’s Focus in Consortium: Improving participation of minority males in teacher education.

Discussion Question #3 What Initiatives at the State Level Can Be Used to Mitigate Teacher Shortages?

Approach #3: M.AL.E. Initiative Males of Alabama Education Initiative To increase the number of teachers in the state of Alabama with an emphasis on male teacher candidates Recruit and retain seven (7) new male teachers per year. Candidates can be undergraduate or graduate students. Program will provide tuition assistance, mentoring, and professional development to male teacher candidates.

Discussion Question #4 What Other Approaches Can Be Used to Repair the Teacher Education Pipeline?

Concluding Thoughts on AAMU Teacher shortages continue to impact P-12 students in Alabama. Alabama A&M University is uniquely positioned to assist in mitigating shortages. Collaboration to ensure interest in the teaching profession occurs across departments and colleges. Student retention is a major focus across the university. President’s Initiative University-wide funding for scholarships College focus on retention and student persistence

Questions? Thank You! Dr. Lena Walton Dr. Samantha L. Strachan College Dean College of Education, Humanities, and Behavioral Sciences Lena.Walton@aamu.edu Dr. Samantha L. Strachan Interim Department Chair Teacher Education and Leadership samantha.strachan@aamu.edu