Duncan and Lee’s request was part of a broader national teacher recruitment campaign, called TEACH, created by the Department of Education to celebrate and recruit more diverse, highly qualified teachers.
Think about this: Only 1.7 percent of the nation’s 4.8 million public school teachers are black men. Most black boys may never be educated by someone who looks like them, and sadly, some African-American boys will never experience a black male role model in their public school classrooms.
A solution to this crisis is long overdue.
Lee, a graduate of Morehouse, shared his history with education and discussed why African-American male teachers are needed in classrooms today. He told the audience that he is part of a Morehouse legacy: His grandfather graduated Morehouse in 1927, and his father in 1951. His grandmother taught art in Georgia for 50 years and never had a white student because of Jim Crow.
During slavery, Lee reminded, it was a crime to teach black slaves to read and write. “If you were caught, you could be whipped, castrated or hung. And if the massa was having a bad day, it could be all three,” he said.
Too many black teens see only three career paths, Lee said: Sports, rap music or the streets. “Our vision is so narrow,” he said. “Black children have to see more options.”
Monday's town hall meeting comes a week after President Barack Obama's call during his State of the Union address for more Americans to become teachers. And since less than 2 percent of the nation's teachers are African-American males, it made sense for Duncan and Lee to engage black male students, who will soon join millions of other Americans in their search for jobs.
The TEACH campaign encourages more minorities, especially males, to pursue careers in the classroom. Nationwide, more than 35 percent of public school students are African-American or Latino, but less than 15 percent of teachers are.
“With more than 1 million teachers expected to retire in the coming years, we have a historic opportunity to transform public education in America by calling on a new generation to join those already in the classroom,” Duncan said in a statement.
“We are working with the broader education community to strengthen and elevate the entire teaching profession so that every teacher has the support and training they need to succeed," he said. "Education is the great equalizer in America and the civil rights issue of our generation. If you care about promoting opportunity and reducing inequality, the classroom is the place to start.”
Following the town hall meeting Monday, Duncan and "The Tom Joyner Morning Show" contributor Jeff Johnson announced a five-year national initiative to recruit, train and place 80,000 African-American male teachers in classrooms by 2015.
Public school teaching is not for everyone – and, in some cases, not for the faint of heart. Some black men will choose careers that offer heftier paychecks; some won’t have the patience to deal with students and maddening bureaucrats, and others don't want to work in America’s inner cities because of high crime. It’s not politically correct – but it is true.
But Duncan is on a mission. Earlier this year, Duncan visited several historically black colleges and spoke directly with African-American male students about public school teaching. It’s a bold initiative – and comes at a critical time for black America.
“People ask why black males are struggling," Duncan said in an earlier interview with BlackAmericaWeb.com.
“I’ve talked to the first lady about it. I plan to visit black colleges and talk to freshmen and sophomores. I want to talk to them about a call to service."
The bottom line is this: The public school system has failed black males. The graduation rate for African-American boys is abysmal; many black male students drop out early, and they are expelled at a much higher rate than white students. Black boys make up nine percent of public school enrollments, but 20 percent of those identified as mentally challenged.
Some black parents voted for Obama, in part, because they were hoping he could reform America’s troubled public school system and help improve the quality of education for black males.
Duncan, the Obama administration – and now Spike Lee - are trying to bridge the obvious educational divide in America the only way they know how: By appealing directly to young black men, city by city, college by college.
It’s certainly worth the effort.
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