0.6 Challenges facing black american principals: a conversation

The success of educational administrators in United States schools isinfluenced by many variables, including demographics. Currently, Latino, Asian Americans, American Indians, and African Americansmake up more than half of the student populations in California, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Mississippi, New Mexico, NewYork, and Texas (U.S. Department of Education, 2004; Gollnick&Chinn, 2005). Whites make up less than one fourth of the student population in the nation’s largest cities; while 84% of teachers are White and 75% are female. In P-12 schools, nationally, 82% ofpublic school principals are White, 11% are Black, 5% are Hispanic, and less than 3% are identified as Asian and Native American(Digest of Education Statistics, 2004).

Here are some basic facts considering the aforementioned data addressing the success of school principals(Ferrandino, 2000; Lewis, 2000; Page&Page, 1991; PR Newswire, 2003).

• There is a growing and tremendous increase in the number of children of color in U.S. public schools.

• Most principals come from the teaching ranks and fewer Blacks are entering the teaching profession.

• Fewer than 2% of the nation's nearly 3 million public school teachers are Black males, according to 1999-2000 survey resultsfrom the U.S. Education Department's National Center for Education Statistics.

• Census statistics show that 42 % of all Black boys have failed a grade at least once by the time they reach high school.And 60 % of Black males who enter high school in 9th grade do not graduate, according to a report by the Schott Foundation for PublicEducation.

At the same time that the success of principals in U.S. schools is influenced by demographics, there areother socio-economic issues to be considered. For example, by 2020, principals will lead schools where only 49% of the school-agedpopulation will be White, 26% of all children will live in poverty, and 8% will speak a language other than English (Natriello, McDill,&Pallas, 1990; U.S. Department of Education, 2003).

Considering these demographic shifts, with fewer minority administrative leaders and more students of color,how are these new 21st century principals going to cope? This chapter seeks to understand the challenges facing P-12 Blackprincipals and other principals of color by asking them what makes them successful. Did they have a mentor? Did they have a mentor whosupported them in achieving their administrative career goals? What challenges did they face in achieving their positions? Some otherquestions that support this study include the following: What are the challenges for the school administrator of the post CivilRights era, as compared to the administrator of the Jim Crow period? What are some models or practices for effectiveadministrators? What are some things that traditional school cultures assume work for Black administrators but in actuality, donot? How does the Browning of America influence the P-12 administrator?