Program Trains Black Male Teachers for Preschools

01The Leading Men Fellowship trains young black and Latino men to become early literacy teachers in preschool classrooms across the United States.

02The program aims to deal with several problems at the same time.

03First, officials say there is a shortage of educators for preschoolers.

04Another problem is there are few black and Latino male teachers.

05And there are many problems that boys face in schools because of their race and sex.

06Ivan Douglas is with the Literacy Lab based in Washington, D.C.

07It is a non-profit group that operates the Leading Men Fellowship, which started in 2016.

08Douglas said, One of the fellows in the program is Devontez Johnson.

09He is 19 years old and is currently gaining experience in a preschool at Dorothy I.

10Heights Elementary in Baltimore, Maryland.

11Fellows like Johnson are recruited after they finish high school.

12After a summer of intensive training, they go to work in school, earning between $16.50 and $18 an hour.

13Johnson is unusual.

14He is a former high school offensive lineman in American football.

15It is a position held by the biggest players on the team.

16Some parents say he looks out of place in a classroom.

17Federal government information says that less than 1% of elementary and early education school teachers are black men.

18Johnson said that less than 1% of elementary school teachers are black men.

19Johnson said that is part of the reason he wanted to teach preschoolers.

20I really thought it was a great opportunity, because I know if I saw someone like me, you know, in pre-K, I'd be pretty excited, Johnson said.

21The Associated Press, AP, recently reported on the Leading Men Fellowship.

22The AP says there is growing evidence that black teachers can help black students, especially boys.

23For example, boys are more likely than girls to be expelled from school.

24Some people are saying that having teachers of the same race is important for young Americans.

25The AP says there is research showing black students who have at least one black teacher are more likely to graduate from high school and less likely to get suspended or expelled.

26The AP says research suggests that training found at historically black colleges might be part of developing an effective teacher.

27A recent study of elementary school students in North Carolina, for example, said black students performed better in math when taught by a teacher trained at an HBCU, or a historically black college or university.

28Nicholas Papa George is an economist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

29He said his research shows that black teachers have higher expectations of black students than non-black teachers.

30His research also suggests that black students who have a black teacher are less likely to drop out of high school and more likely to attend college.

31Leading Men Fellow Johnson has found that singing and dancing are a big part of preschool education.

32He has been told that children learn best through repetition and when they can link information with movements and music.

33Bridget Jeffries has Johnson working in her preschool classroom.

34She said she has been watching Johnson grow more confident with her students.

35It was so beautiful because usually you don't see men really get down to the child level, Jeffries said.

36She said the children see him as a big kid.

37Johnson is also studying political science at the University of Maryland Global Campus.

38He hopes to go into politics.

39But at this time, his fellow teachers want him to stick with teaching.

40On a recent October day, Johnson worked individually with students to help them write their names.

41During free play time, he helped the student who was making an impression of a leaf on paper.

42She looked at him for approval and support for her work.

43You've done a wonderful job, Johnson told her.

44I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.