Reflections in the Mirror: An Examination of Racially Congruent Mentoring of Black Teacher Candidates in a Teacher Education Program

The high demand for Black educators in K-12 schools across the United States has caused several teacher training programs to rethink how they prepare Black teacher candidates for the teaching workforce (Andrews et al., 2019; Blazar, 2024; Milner & Howard, 2004). Improving teacher candidate training, especially for Black teacher candidates can boost K-12 Black teacher representation. Literature on Black teacher candidate’s experiences while being mentored identifies several challenges that include issues with implicit bias, microaggressions, stereotyping and other occurrences of racial discrimination (Daly et al., 2024; Hampton et al., 2008; Kardos & Johnson-Moore, 2010; Rodriguez et al., 2020). The process for pairing Black teacher candidates with mentor teachers requires intentionality and implementation. Black mentor teachers can help Black teacher candidates strengthen Black teacher identity and invalidate implicit biases that impact their professional and personal development (Darling-Hammond, 2010; Kohli et al., 2022; Wandix-White, 2020). This qualitative study examined the racially congruent mentoring relationships between Black teacher candidates and their Black mentor teachers. Using a narrative inquiry approach, this study explored the lived experiences of study participants in three key areas: sense of belonging, negating implicit bias, and Black teacher identity. Findings from this study indicate that racially congruent mentoring relationships for Black teacher candidates positively impact their sense of belonging. Additionally, the mentoring relationships fortify Black teacher candidates’ ability to negate implicit bias and assist in developing stronger Black teacher identity.