1. 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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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
         

6. 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.

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

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

9. 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.

10. 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.

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

12. 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.

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

14. 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.

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

16. 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

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