| African American teachers make up only about 7% of teachers in the United States, while African American students make up 16% of the public school population. Unfortunately, African American teachers leave teaching at almost a 60% higher rate when compared to other teacher demographics. Past efforts to recruit African American teachers did not include a focus on retaining teachers and very little quantitative research exists that places African American teachers as the focal point. Therefore, the purpose of this non-experimental, cross-sectional and longitudinal study was to explore professional characteristics and workplace perceptions that are associated with African American teacher retention. The results present aspects of African American teachers' professional characteristics which are not focal points in current teacher retention literature. Specifically, this study conveys the school contexts, certification pathways, and mobility rates of a group of African American teachers within their first five years of teaching. In this study, African American female teachers were less likely to intend to stay in teaching, compared to African American male teachers and administrative support was significantly associated with African American teachers' intent to stay in teaching. |
