ON THE LIMITED PRESENCE OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN TEACHERS - AN ASSESSMENT OF RESEARCH, SYNTHESIS, AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS

This article responds to a recent review essay by King (1993) on the l imited presence of African American teachers in American elementary an d secondary education. The purpose of this response is twofold. First, it is suggested that the original work leaves some of the issues surr ounding attracting and retaining elementary and secondary school teach ers unaddressed, leaves some conflicting empirical work unsynthesized, and provides interpretations and policy suggestions that do not neces sarily directly follow from the empirical evidence. Second, this respo nse highlights an emerging problem in educational research. It suggest s that a productive and worthwhile area of inquiry would be one in whi ch educational researchers examine how ''crises'' in education emerge, how they are defined and constructed both within and outside the fiel d of education, and how educational researchers respond to educational crises. It is hoped that these substantive and policy concerns will b egin to receive additional attention from educational researchers and policymakers.