“No Time for Messin’ Around!” Understanding Black Educator Urgency: Implications for the Preparation of Urban Educators

Studies of effective Black educators describe the teacher’s sense of urgency as the guiding perspective that manifests in their authoritative, insistent manner. Although the bulk of this work offers snapshots of insistence in practice, less is known about the perspectives that undergird Black educator urgency. Using collaborative inquiry methodology framed within an emancipatory theoretical perspective, this article describes the sociocultural factors that give rise to the sense of urgency perceived by Black educators. Findings revealed that the factors that contributed to Black educator urgency were rooted in the educators’ culture-specific perspectives. Discussion and implications for teacher educators conclude the article.