Building a Black teacher pipeline for Philly and beyond — one Freedom School at a time

Inside Promise Harvey’s North Philadelphia classroom, children sat rapt on a recent Tuesday as they listened to Jabari Jumps, a book about a boy anxious about tackling his first leap from a high-diving board.

It was both literacy lesson and a chance for the rising third graders to talk about what it means to be nervous and brave. But the class was also part of an effort to build a pipeline of Black teachers — an increasing focus in education as districts better understand the importance of a diverse educator force for student achievement and well-being at the same time they cope with a national teacher shortage.

Research shows that a diverse teaching force benefits all students, particularly Black children, in academic achievement, college attendance, and positive racial identity.

» READ MORE: Pa.’s teacher shortage is now a ‘crisis.’ Here’s how the state plans to bring in thousands of educators by 2025.

Harvey, a West Philadelphia native studying English at George Washington University, is one of 12 young people working at Freedom Schools Literacy Academy based at Mastery Prep Elementary, and 142 others spread among Freedom Schools in Philadelphia, Camden, and Detroit.

The Freedom Schools, run as summer programs, are a training ground for teachers of color, high school and college students exploring the idea of education as a career.

College students — called servant leader apprentices — teach kindergarten through second graders; high school students, called junior servant leaders, assist in classrooms. All are provided with mentoring by certified teachers. Young people are recruited through outreach that lasts all year — webinars, social media, and other programs.

» READ MORE: Teachers wanted: The declining pipeline of educators-to-be has experts worried the teacher shortage will only get worse

Freedom Schools are not a new concept. The movement formally began in 1964, when civil rights workers in Mississippi organized to counter the poor public education available to Black children and their parents, teaching lessons in reading, rights, and embracing Black identities.

Philadelphia has had various incarnations of Freedom Schools, but the current model has been operating since 2019 by the Center for Black Educator Development, founded by Sharif El-Mekki. This summer, 241 students are enrolled across the three partner cities and online, funded through a combination of money from the Philadelphia School District, the Mastery Charter network, and private funders. All children are welcome, but the curriculum is built, El-Mekki said, “with the love and success of Black children in mind.”

“Welcome scholars!” a sign in one Freedom School classroom reads. “Black children can do anything!”

Growing up, Harvey felt called to education. She lined up her toys in an imaginary classroom where she was the teacher, though she did wonder whether a career making more money was a better path. Ultimately, Freedom Schools cemented her commitment to work in classrooms: It’s not just about a job but about social justice.

“I wanted to be in a school like the schools I grew up in and teach kids that look like me,” said Harvey, 21, who attended a private Christian school and a charter high school. “It’s hard to come by good teachers.”

El-Mekki called the work “hope in action.”

“We’re really building community, but it’s not stand in line and wait for leadership,” El-Mekki said. “No, you are a leader now. You don’t have to pay your dues. You’re an expert in your lived experience and you’re bringing that to bear as you lead a classroom.”

The Center for Black Educator Development is advancing the cause on several fronts: It has raised $1.25 million for the Future Black Teachers of Excellence Fund, an ongoing campaign to support the Black teacher pipeline locally and nationally. High school students who commit to majoring in education or a related field and teach for five years will be provided with scholarships, mentoring and coaching, and, once in the field, retention bonuses.

» READ MORE: Philadelphia Freedom Schools, built for Black children, tackle literacy and love

El-Mekki hopes the teachers fund will work in up to 15 regions within the next decade. But for the next several weeks, its work focuses narrowly on Freedom Schools.

Courtney Daye, who attends North Carolina A&T State University, didn’t start out wanting to work in a classroom — she’s a psychology major — but she’s back for her fourth summer working at Freedom Schools, and she admits, “Now I’m wondering, Do I want to be a teacher?”

Everyone at her Freedom School at Mastery Prep knows that when it’s time for the “I love being Black” chant at Harambee — the infectiously joyous opening ceremony that starts every day — it’s Daye’s turn to lead. (”I love the color of my skin ’cause it’s the skin I’m in! I love the texture of my hair, and I can rock it everywhere!” children and teachers call out.)

“It feels so great, just kids loving being Black while they’re young,” said Daye, 20. “I didn’t experience that. I had a whole phase where I thought I didn’t love my Black skin.”

» READ MORE: There are fewer Black teachers in Philly today than 20 years ago, report finds

Though identity formation is part of the work, the main focus is literacy, and data show Freedom Schools help students make gains in reading. At Mastery Prep on Tuesday, students sounded out words, raced through a spelling bee, read, and discussed what books they’d like to include in classroom libraries.

During the school year, Trent Petty is a second-grade teacher at Mastery Prep; this summer, he’s the site leader for the Freedom School there. If you had asked Petty in high school if he wanted to become a teacher, “I would have said, ‘Are you crazy?’ It was not in my sight at all. Male teachers weren’t a thing,” said Petty, a Pittsburgh native.

But after he discovered in college that he didn’t actually enjoy the engineering courses he’d signed up for, Petty found his way to teaching. The Freedom Schools’ “education for liberation” motto resonates with him.

“It feels like I’m leading part of the revolution of debunking the stereotypes about Black people,” said Petty. “Whether it’s an inch, a mile, a step, or a jump, we’re letting the kids know that there’s more out there for Black people than just what you see on TV. There’s people you know — your teachers, your principal — doing something else.”

We know a lack of teachers strained so many schools this year, but we wanted to home in on why it was happening, whether it was getting worse, and how it could be helped. If you’re a teacher, student, parent, or administrator who has a story to tell about how the teacher shortage has affected you or your school, please contact education editor Cathy Rubin at crubin@inquirer.com or staff writer Kristen Graham at kgraham@inquirer.com.