The Glass Ceiling
With any systemic societal issue, we are faced with three choices: do something, do nothing, or worse, choose to ignore it altogether. The issue may seem insurmountable to an individual standing alone against an entrenched infrastructure. But when we turn a blind eye, we tacitly agree with the status quo. Although research shows that students of color are more likely to stay in school and do better academically when they have teachers of their race or ethnicity, the hard work of transforming school culture has proven to be a major roadblock.
In the early 1800s, Horace Mann, a Massachusetts legislator and Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education, advocated for the establishment of public schools – available to all children, free of cost, and subsidized by the state (Center on Education Policy). Yet, however promising the idea of equality in the public education system seemed, non-white groups – particularly African Americans – did not have access to the benefits of education. And when they finally gained that access, they were often underserved or segregated into lower quality schools.
The racial inequality in public education, that began almost two centuries ago, continues to hamper equal education opportunities for African Americans. However, due to the presumption that equal opportunity exists, many people blame low levels of achievement among minority students on their culture or lack of work ethic. In reality, unequal access to key educational resources, particularly skilled teachers, drives the disparity in academic performance for minority students. Furthermore, since African Americans, who work as teachers or administrators do not have a significant presence in most schools, African American students often lack the support and encouragement to reach their potential.
In the school district of a city in an affluent suburb in Collin County, Texas, representation of African Americans - in terms of student enrollment and teachers - accounts for less than 15% of the population (Murphy). In this same school district, African American teachers are so underrepresented that one of the African American Studies courses, which includes the TEKS standard requiring “an analysis of important ideas, social and cultural values, beliefs and traditions,” is taught by a white woman (Texas Education Agency).
This is why Mary Lee Elliott (a pseudonym since she only agreed to interview on the condition of anonymity), an African American Assistant Principal (AP) Secretary for the past seven years at one of the district’s high schools, is noteworthy. In fact, prior to interviewing Ms. Elliott, when I only had her name, I was able to immediately identify her on the school’s web page because she was the only African American woman pictured. At the time, I was thinking about the questions I would ask Ms. Elliott concerning her contributions to education. I did not understand that I was at the precipice of a more profound lesson: the power of an individual to break down societal barriers.
Prior to working in public education, Ms. Elliott had worked in business for over a decade, and during the course of her career, had supervised three telecommunication companies across the nation. After several years, she was making “great pay,” but she became burnt out and began to think about a different career (Elliott). In addition to a minor in business, she had a degree in early education, so she decided to enter the field of public education. Initially, she wanted to work in high school administration, but she understood that working in administration would be impossible without prior experience in the district. Once hired, she worked from 2005 to 2012 as a paraprofessional aide with students who had significant developmental delays and often exhibited physical and/or sensory disabilities.
During her years as a paraprofessional, as one of the only African American teachers aides at the high school, Ms. Elliott provided representation for her students. One African American student, Malcom Hill, currently an English teacher and football coach at Reedy High School in Frisco, recalls seeing Ms. Elliott greet him in the hallways, even though she was not his teacher. “I was just a kid,” he said, “who enjoyed being around [Ms. Elliott]” (Hill). One must keep in mind that in the early 2000s, there were even fewer African Americans in the school district. As Mr. Hill remarked, “When you're in a school that's predominantly white or whatever other race, it's tough for some kids to truly learn and feel like teachers have their best interests.”
Although her presence alone as an African American in the school gave this future educator a sense of belonging, he could also see the influence she had on his brother Evan. Mr. Hill said, “Learning was tough for Evan, and he would often get frustrated and embarrassed especially as a student athlete. But when he wanted to quit, she never let him.”
Lower academic performance of African American students is nothing new. Ms. Elliott knew that Evan needed someone who believed in him and his potential to break the societal barrier to his educational achievements. She became that person for him. By seeing in her student what he had not realized in himself, she defied societal expectations and compelled him to set his own standards, rather than conform to society’s.
Although her work as a paraprofessional was rewarding, Ms. Elliot felt that she could still use her business background to make a contribution outside the classroom and in school administration. Then in 2013, a colleague and the departing AP Secretary, recommended her to the principal. Even though one interview is the normal procedure, she was interviewed on five separate occasions by each of the assistant principals. Upon reflection she stated, “You’ve got to understand, people usually just interview with maybe one principal and one assistant principal.”
At this point of the interview, I was beginning to see that she was delicately addressing the elephant in the room: she was an African American, and African Americans were not, and are not, the norm in school administration. Yet, she saw her minority status as an opportunity to be a voice for African Americans. Ms. Elliott stated, “I wanted to break the glass ceiling when I applied for the AP secretary position. I noticed that there were a few women of color in this position, and I wanted to find out why it was that way” (Elliott). As an African American in an administrative role, Ms. Elliott was beginning to penetrate a formidable barrier, albeit a transparent one, that many people simply cannot see, or worse, choose not to see.
In addition to her position as an AP Secretary, another way she inspires greater awareness of African Americans is through her participation in Black History Month. For several years, she has gathered a group of students to make posters featuring lesser known African American figures to hang in front of her office. As Ms. Elliott observed, “It’s like in Hidden Figures; nobody knew about those three ladies. It's just amazing that these women did what they did. None of that is being taught in the school.”
In her own way, Ms. Elliott is attempting to bring lesser known African Americans into the spotlight, so that not only African American students, but also all students have an opportunity to raise their cultural awareness. When African American students learn about other African Americans excelling in heavily underrepresented fields, they may begin to shift their perspectives about what is possible for them to achieve. Furthermore, as Ms. Elliott pointed out, “Black history is not just one month out of the year; it’s everyday for brown and black people.” She knows that greater representation of African Americans has the potential to transform all African American youth’s vision of their future and possibly the trajectory of their entire lives.
The lack of representation among African Americans persists in today’s public education system and requires systemic change if we are to achieve the equality that was proposed nearly two centuries ago. Ms. Elliott expressed her dismay with the system in this way, “I have voiced my opinion, professionally, but I have come to the conclusion that I can't change the system. The system does not want to be changed, and that comes from upstairs.” By “upstairs” she is referring to the people who are running the system and their willingness to change it.
Yet Ms. Elliott is not one to quit because the odds sometimes feel like they are stacked against her. She challenges herself and others, “Someone has to have the decency …to stand up and say, You know what? We have to change….We have to stop bringing in people that look like us. Let’s bring in people who don’t look like us but are qualified.”
It is a slow process, and Ms. Elliott will be the first to say, “I love my job, and I'm glad I have the opportunity, but I also know that there needs to be a lot of changes.” These small incremental changes may not be obvious but they are just as important as the big ones. And these changes are often the result of individuals, like Ms. Elliott, whom most people do not know, but who are, nevertheless, dismantling the glass ceiling.
Works Cited
African American Studies - Texas Education Agency. Texas Education Agency, 19 June 2020, https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/African%20American%20Studies_2019.pdf.
Elliott, Mary. Personal interview. 7 February 2023.
Hill, Malcolm. Personal interview. 9 February 2023.
History and Evolution of Public Education in the US - Eric. Center on Education Policy, 2020, https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED606970.pdf .
Murphy, Ryan, et al. “Frisco ISD.” Texas Public Schools, The Texas Tribune, 10 June 2022, https://schools.texastribune.org/districts/frisco-isd/ .
