Committing to Male Teachers of Color
A superintendent in South Carolina had his own ‘exodus moment’ on inequity, then pushed his district to develop a defined pathway for diversifying the teaching ranks

Baron Davis (right), superintendent of Richland Two Public Schools in Columbia, S.C., shares congratulations with Valenté Gibson, the school district’s 2021-22 Teacher of the Year.

American author and activist James Baldwin said, “The paradox of education is precisely this — that as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated.”

As educators become conscious of inequities, they begin to examine the way in which they educate a society. Since becoming a superintendent five years ago, I have made it a priority to create an educational experience that is inclusive and affirming for all by dismantling systems of inequity in public education, breaking down barriers and using equitable practices to close the opportunity, knowledge and learning gaps for all students.

Richland School District Two in Columbia, S.C., has a rich diversity of students. The current student body demographics consists of 61 percent of students who identify as Black or African American, 19 percent who identify as white, 12 percent as Hispanic, 3 percent as Asian and 5 percent as other races and ethnicities. The percentage of students of color continues to rise in Richland Two and across the country, underscoring the gravity and urgency to amplify the need to diversify the learning experiences of students.

Starting Point

National data show Black teachers make up around 7 percent of the nation’s public school teachers. Fewer than 2 percent of teachers nationwide are minority males. Having at least one Black teacher in elementary school cuts the high school dropout rates of low-income Black boys by 39 percent and raises college aspirations among poor students of both sexes by 19 percent, according to a 2017 study by researchers from Johns Hopkins University, American University and the University of California, Davis. A personnel audit conducted by my district in 2019 revealed that 6 percent of teachers in Richland Two were minority male teachers.

The starting point for this work was to define equity in our school district. In August 2019, Richland Two became the first school district in South Carolina to develop an equity school board policy that was approved unanimously by our governing board. An equity policy in place ensures district administration uses an equity lens when planning, making decisions and allocating resources.

Shortly after conducting our personnel audit, Richland Two launched the Premier 100 Initiative to strategically recruit and retain male teachers of color. The goal is to broaden the diversity of male teachers of color in the classroom and create a dynamic teaching force that is committed to practicing the tenets of diversity, equity and inclusion to create a space for the historically marginalized student to be recognized, supported and affirmed.

The Premier 100 is our journey to recruit and retain 100 minority male teachers (25 annually) by the year 2024. Ideally, we would like to provide all students with a minority teacher during their kindergarten through 12th-grade experience, with the ultimate goal of having at least one minority male teacher. The Premier 100 can be the blueprint for recruiting, developing and empowering the next generation of minority male educational scholars.

Too often men of color are relegated to the position of being what I call the “Black Boy Whisperer’’ or disciplinarian. In Richland Two, we are addressing the stereotype of the disciplinarian by creating spaces where men of color feel they can be their authentic selves. We are giving them permission to bring their cultural influences and experiences to the classroom. These experiences will benefit all learners regardless of ethnicity, gender, economic status, learning ability and religious beliefs. This gives us the opportunity to promote men of color as critical scholars, curriculum developers and instructional experts.

Dismantling Inequities

As education leaders, we must collectively and collaboratively push back on and challenge the systems and institutions that create the conditions of inequity and disproportionate access to opportunity for all learners. 

As educators and education leaders, we routinely have surrendered our voice to others, subconsciously giving them permission to dictate the conditions in which education should be experienced. If we are willing to conduct an honest examination of these historical and present conditions, we will discover that many are deeply rooted into the very practices that we seek to dismantle and eradicate.

As a high school assistant principal, I spent the majority of my time dealing with discipline involving students of color, specifically Black boys. I was good at it, and I was rewarded for being good at it. As I became more enlightened and aware of my calling and purpose of being an educator, I began to critically look at the way that I was providing an educational experience for students in my schools.

It was then I had what I call my “exodus moment.” I shed the persona of being the disciplinarian and embraced the responsibility of creating educational conditions and experiences that included all students. I realized every student is blessed with gifts and talents and it is the responsibility of educators to help them maximize their unique abilities.

The Premier 100 and programs like it provide school districts with a pathway to grow the teaching profession by increasing the percentage of male teachers of color, diversifying the teaching ranks, increasing the culturally rich and diverse learning environment and reducing the cultural classroom mismatch that students of color routinely face. 

When teachers understand the culture of their students, they are better able to develop deep and trusting relationships with students that strengthen their ability to provide culturally relevant instruction, which enhances learning experiences for all students. 

Superintendent Baron Davis (front, second from left) and Sharif El-Mekki (front, third from left), founder of the Center for Black Educator Development, with participants in the Richland school district’s Premier 100 initiative in March.

Vital Partnerships

In Richland Two, we are partnering with some of our local historically black colleges and universities and the Call Me MISTER (Mentors Instructing Students Toward Effective Roles) program, founded at Clemson University in 2000. We are hosting students and faculty from South Carolina’s colleges and universities, community leaders, paraprofessionals and male educators of color who are uplifting and intensifying the conversation to make this effort a community call to action.

Richland Two offers a competitive compensation package for all new teachers. With the support of the Richland Two Board of Trustees and administration, the starting salary for new teachers recently increased to $41,000 annually plus health, dental, retirement and associated benefits. That is a commitment that exceeds $1 million annually for 25 new teachers. To retain all teachers coming into the district, Richland Two offers a two-year induction program that gives new teachers access to an instructional coach and a teacher mentor. We also host a New to Two conference to engage new staff in the district’s culture and practices.

Last year, Richland Two received a $15,000 donation from contracted custodial services partner, Service Solutions, to help launch the Premier 100 program. Through this gift, new recruits receive small monetary bonuses for entering the teaching profession. Professional development is offered along with an individualized professional growth plan.

The school district has hosted monthly meetings led by district administrators, principals, assistant principals and teachers. These meetings encourage new teachers to be truly authentic and ask questions about their profession. Topics of study have included building relationships with students, the awareness gap and parent communication. We held a discussion using a book by Gloria Ladson-Billings, The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children. Each member of the Premier 100 receives a copy.

The initial Premier 100 cohort consisted of 27 new male teachers of color. Recruiting efforts have yielded 55 total male teachers of color, which puts the district a little over halfway toward its four-year goal. Although Richland Two was above the national average of minority male teachers of color at 6 percent when launching the Premier 100 and has improved to approximately 8.1 percent, we know this barely scratches the surface and there is so much more work to be done.

Bruising Work

Leading equity and inclusion requires that you accept and understand it will come with pushback, distractions, detractors and resistance. The uprooting of deeply rooted practices and the planting of new seeds of promise is fulfilling work, but it is not for the faint of heart. When you start talking about inequity, inclusion and diversity, be prepared to be met with resistance.

If you go into your garden to pull up weeds or hedges that are as deep-rooted as inequities in schools, you should expect to have some bruises and scrapes. You must be ready to get dirty while doing the work. However, it will be the most rewarding work of your career and something that will have a long-lasting impact.

BARON DAVIS is superintendent of Richland School District Two in Columbia, S.C. Twitter: @DrBaronDavis