Call for chapters – Black Male Educators in American Classrooms: Recruitment, Retention and K-12 Impact

Editors: Dr. Kimberly Underwood, Dr. Sandra Sessoms-Penny, and Dr. Joy Taylor

Deadline: 30 Aug 2024

How to submit

We are seeking chapter submissions for a volume entitled Black Male Educators in American Classrooms: Recruitment, Retention, and K-12 Impact that will explore the unique challenges and valuable perspectives Black male educators (BMEs) bring to the K-12 school setting.

Black males represent less than 2% of K-12 teachers in the United States indicating the urgent need for leaders to move beyond discussions about this educational crisis to decisive actions which will significantly increase the recruitment and retention of Black male educators.

A better understanding of how to include and effectively utilise Black males in America’s classrooms may have a widespread impact in K-12 classrooms, in the community, and throughout society.  

Proposals in one of the following areas would be of particular interest:

• How BMEs presence support and influence the entire school community
• Recruitment and retention of BMEs
• Building social capital for success in teacher preparation programmes and K-12 classrooms
• The challenges and rewards associated with being BMEs
• BMEs skills and strategies for successful teaching
• BMEs Skills and strategies for successful socialisation
• Understanding the role of BMEs in education and society
• Historical perspectives on BMEs in K-12 classrooms
• BMEs career trajectories into educational leadership

*Note: We are open to considering additional topics not listed above.

 

About the volume editors

• Dr. Kimberly Underwood is the chair of the Center for Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Research at the University of Phoenix. She has over two decades of experience in the areas of diversity and inclusion leadership, strategic planning and project management, professional development and training, teaching, consulting, research, university accreditation leadership, and higher education administration. Dr. Underwood has received numerous awards for academic and teaching excellence throughout her academic career. Dr. Underwood earned her Ph.D. in Educational Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Executive Certificate in Strategic Diversity and Inclusion Management from Georgetown University, and Diversity and Inclusion for Human Resources Certification from Cornell University.  
• Dr. Sandra Sessoms-Penny is a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Research. She is also a Research Methodologist and faculty member at the University of Phoenix. She is an alum of George Washington University, Old Dominion University, Troy State University (Montgomery) and Saint Leo University. Dr. Sessoms-Penny formerly served as an educator and school administrator for elementary, middle, and high schools in the state of Virginia. She is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and a former Troops-to-Teachers mentor. She is actively engaged in her community as a leader and personal development transformational coach.
• Dr. Joy Taylor is a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Research with the University of Phoenix. She is also a former classroom teacher, school principal, and district administrator with nearly forty years of experience in K-12 education. Dr. Taylor has been recognised at the local and state level for her work with a wide range of school improvement initiatives aimed at turning around struggling schools. The first-generation college graduate fully embraces the role education, mentoring, and strong relationships play in navigating a path to success in the world of public education. She is an alum of the University of Central Florida and Nova Southeastern University.