Date of Award
1-23-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Educational Leadership, Ed.D.
First Advisor
Jacques Singleton
Committee Members
Robert Williams; Tania Reis
Abstract
Retention rates of Black teachers in suburban schools are significantly lower than their White teacher counterparts. For Black teachers the assumption has always been that Black teachers wanted to teach in Urban schools who have a majority Black student makeup. This phenomenological study offers a counter-story to the commonly told narrative of Black teachers. Black teacher retention in the suburban locale was addressed with the intent to support a school system that is more reflective of student demographics. Utilizing aspects from both Job Embeddedness and Critical Race Theory, this study examined the lived experience of 8 Black teachers working in a suburban school district in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Data was collected through a demographic survey and virtual semi-structured interviews. Findings found that belonging support from administration, validation, working with those who match racially, as well as a tie to the suburban locale were rooted in the Black suburban experience. Key words: Black teachers, teacher retention, suburban locale, Job-Embeddedness, Critical Race theory
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Swearingen, Chere, "Why Black Teachers Decide to Stay: A Phenomenological Study to Understand Retention of Black Teachers in the Suburban School Setting" (2026). Student Theses and Dissertations. 1148.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/1148
