The mission of the Shaker Heights City School Districts’ Black Teacher Task Force (BTTF) is to provide a safe space for Black Teachers. Historically and today, black faculty at Shaker have been underrepresented at both teacher and administrative ranks. This underrepresentation has created experiences of marginalization and bias for black teachers and faculty at Shaker, thus creating a pressing need for a space and platform specifically for black educators to not only address these distinctive experiences, but also to receive support while helping to create solutions. The Black Teacher Task Force also addresses the mental wellbeing and work environment by seeking understanding of the current climate of buildings while working towards dismantling the barriers in place that lead to many issues present in Shaker Heights City Schools.
We seek to provide the district leadership with information that will give Black teachers the incentive to want to remain in Shaker. We also want to ensure that equity is provided in every aspect of the Black teachers’ employment experience. Overall, it is our goal to ensure that Black teachers in the Shaker Heights City School District are treated in such a manner that they are able to provide students with the best educational experience possible while celebrating their gifts and talents.