Enriching Their Potential: Supporting Black Male Teacher Candidates in the Age of edTPA

Abstract

ABSTRACT Intense pressure from multiple stakeholders has forced teacher preparation programs (TPPs) to investigate better methods to prepare teacher candidates to enter classrooms and instruct students on day one. Part of this increased level of accountability has resulted in the formation of teacher evaluative assessments as state licensure exams. One licensure exam sweeping across TPPs in the United States is edTPA. This portfolio-based assessment has garnered an assortment of national support from top policy makers, educators, and teacher accountability advocates, but it has also raised concerns over the potential racial bias that standardized assessments have against teacher candidates of color. This concern comes at a juncture where the nation is seeing modest gains in the number of Black male teacher candidates entering the teaching profession. Building upon prior research (2019) findings, our study provides tangible approaches and a framework for TPPs to utilize to better support Black male teacher candidates in completing edTPA. Additionally, we intend to present explicit recommendations for TPP decision makers and university faculty regarding how both employ edTPA support services to bolster the number of highly effective Black male teacher candidates who enter and successfully matriculate through a teacher preparation program.