Like every state, Michigan struggles to develop and retain Black educators. A recent report from Education Policy Innovation Collaborative noted only 5.8% of Michigan teachers identify as Black, showing that educators are far less diverse than the students we serve. Research has found that Black students exposed to at least one Black teacher between grades 3-5 are less likely to drop out of high school and more likely to aspire to attend a four-year college or university (non-Black students also benefit from having Black teachers as they learn to communicate and work across differences). Once they get to college, only 5% of tenured faculty and 7% of nontenure-track faculty nationally are Black. Many studies of colleges and universities have shown that a  lack of Black faculty/staff leads to feelings of isolation among Black students, inhibiting their learning/growth and identification with the institution.

Our Stance
School communities are made stronger when the staff is reflective of the students we serve and the broader diversity of our state. We support diversifying Michigan’s education workforce to reflect our students across many dimensions, focusing first on addressing the underrepresentation of Black educators in our schools and colleges.

Our Work
The working group will bring together members to build out paths for advocacy and resources that help support educators and school communities taking action  at the state, institution, and member level. Our goal is to complete concrete projects that will help increase the number of Black educators in the classroom. We will begin with an Assessment Phase before moving toward recommending action steps to the AFT Michigan Administrative Board.

Who Should Join?
Members from across our AFT Michigan constituency groups (paraprofessional & school related personnel, PreK-12 teachers, Special Ed/ISD, graduate employees, nontenure-track faculty, tenure-track faculty and academic staff) interested in joining the working group can become involved with these projects in various ways including reviewing and giving feedback on drafts, supporting organizing and logistical work, and building out research and development.  Time commitments are flexible and will vary depending on the project and timeline.