Summary: <br> In October 2018, William Stubbs, an instructional leadership director at Oklahoma City Public Schools at the time, entered and won the Teach for America’s Shark Tank OKC as a contestant in the city’s Shark Tank competition. <br> <br> <br> <br> Photo by Got Credit – Creative Commons Attribution License https://www.flickr.com/photos/144008357@N08<br> <br> <br> <br> He was awarded $10,000 to implement stronger partnerships and mentoring opportunties for the city’s young men of color with educators and community businesses. His idea was borne from a conviction that black males, in particular, need more access to men of color as role models in education and business.<br> <br> <br> <br> A <a href="https://theundefeated.com/features/only-two-percent-of-teachers-are-black-men-yet-research-confirms-they-matter/">January 29, 2019 post on the website Theundeafeted.com by Chandra Thomas Whitfield</a> explains that only two-percent of teachers are black men. Although student populations are much more diverse, minority students do not always see themselves reflected in their teachers or school leaders. <br> <br> <br> <br> Recently, I had the privilege to interview William Stubbs, and he shared several takeaways for principals to keep in mind as they consider how to create stronger environments of diversity and equity.<br> <br> <br> <br> William’s Bio<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> William Stubbs is the Middle School Managing Director at UpLift Education in Dallas, Texas. He is a former Instructional Leadership Director for the Oklahoma City Public School District. Before his Oklahoma tenure, he served as the K-12 Principal at Kennedy Charter Public School in Charlotte, NC. Before joining Kennedy Charter Public School, William was the Dean of Students and Upper School Literature Teacher at Kestrel Heights School in Durham, NC. He has also been a Principal Intern at Reedy Creek Middle School – Wake County Public Schools in Cary, NC. William holds an M.S.A. from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and a B.A. in English from Shaw University.<br> <br> <br> <br> The Life of an Educator<br> <br> <br> <br> William Stubbs has always been passtionate about learning and growing, and he wanted to be an educator from a very young age. As an undergraduate at Shaw Univeristy, he was a part of the Breakthrough Collaborative that allowed college students to teach and mentor middle school students. Later he was a Teach for America educator and taught high school English. Much of his experience has been working between district public schools and charters. He is also a co-moderator for the Twitter chat Black Males Educators or #BMEsTalk, each Tuesday night at 8PM Central Standard Time, where educators from across the U.S. share ideas, research, and feedback on ways to encourage positive outcomes for black male educators.<br> <br> <br> <br> Important Trends in Education<br> <br> <br> <br> In this episode, William shares about how diversity matters, especially in settings where demographics are shifting. <br> <br> <br> <br> An important question for school leaders to consider is: how can you closely allign your student population and your staff represented there? Many black male educators did not have black male educators in early-childhood. More black male educators are seen in high schools but fewer in college settings. Teachers of color can often connect with the learning of students of color.<br> <br> <br> <br> One example addressing the need is the <a href="http://%20https://education.uic.edu/call-me-mister/">Call Me MISTER (Mentors Instructing Students Toward Effective Role Models) Initiative</a> , which is currently available at 13 universities throughout the U.S.<br> <br> <br> <br> Suggestions for School Leaders<br> <br> <br> <br> District and school leaders must be clear on what diversity ...
