Date of Award
5-10-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
School Name
Annsley Frazier Thornton School of Education
Department
Education
Major Advisor
Winn Crenshaw Wheeler, Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Jess Smith, Ph.D.
Third Advisor
Diane Courington, Ph.D.
Abstract
America’s lack of Black male teachers continues to be an astonishing problem. This study explores Black male educators who have chosen to remain elementary school teachers in the southern region of America. Moreover, this dissertation examines how Black male elementary teachers create or engage in maroon communities. Through qualitative case study methods including a focus group, interviews, artifacts, and journal entries, the following questions were explored:
- How do Black male teachers describe the lived experiences that contribute to their retention in elementary classrooms in urban areas in the South?
- How do Black male teachers participate in or create maroon communities to establish autonomous educational spaces?
Findings from this research illustrate the impact positive student relationships, cultural awareness, and perceptions of school administration have on the retention of Black male elementary teachers. Additionally, findings indicate that the maroon communities Black male elementary teachers engage with are professional and personal, they are spaces that provide support and social relaxation to play, and they are spaces of humanity. The significance of findings in this study informs the retention of Black male elementary teachers, and the ways these educators create autonomous spaces of freedom.
Recommended Citation
Graves, Brandon, "Forging Freedom: Black Male Teachers, Their Maroon Communities, and Their Decision to Remain in the Elementary Classroom" (2025). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones. 199.
https://scholarworks.bellarmine.edu/tdc/199