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A New Paradigm for Preparing Teachers of Black Males

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Reconceptualizing Social Justice in Teacher Education

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Abstract

The literature on teacher education has examined a multitude of issues tied to race, access, and equity. However, sorely missing from social justice frameworks in teacher education has been an explicit and intentional focus on preparing teachers to work with Black males. A volume of data exists on the manner in which schools and teachers inadequately respond to the needs of Black males. In this chapter, we disrupt the oversight of Black males in teacher education literature. We do so, by calling for challenging teacher educators to radically rethink teacher education when it comes to meeting the needs of Black males. We also discuss the influence of effective mentorship and illustrate potential ways to foster sustained classroom engagement. We do this through a three-pronged framework: (a) examining and understanding the complexity of Black male identity, (b) recognizing and calling out acts of anti-Black racism that undermine Black males’ promise and potential in schools, and (c) situating teacher learning in a humanizing pedagogy framework that problematizes and forefronts the salience of race in educational policies and pedagogies. This chapter will call for a reimagining of how teacher education can and must play a role in enhancing the experiences and outcomes of Black males in schools.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Inglewood, CA, USA

    Tr’Vel Lyons

  2. UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Tyrone Howard

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  1. Tr’Vel Lyons
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  2. Tyrone Howard
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Education, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ, USA

    Susan Browne

  2. College of Education, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ, USA

    Gaëtane Jean-Marie

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Lyons, T., Howard, T. (2022). A New Paradigm for Preparing Teachers of Black Males. In: Browne, S., Jean-Marie, G. (eds) Reconceptualizing Social Justice in Teacher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16644-0_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16644-0_9

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