Arizona Alliance of Black
School Educators
Gerri Bohanan is the Communications Chairperson for the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE) and former (2011-2014) NABSE Instruction& Instructional Support (IIS) Commission Chairperson. During her position as the chairperson, Gerri improved the IIS communication assets. She sought sponsors to host the commission’s luncheons as well as developed the IIS Educator’s Strand Days during the NABSE conferences. She combined partnerships leading to the creation and promotion of the NABSE Teacher Summits that started in 2014, a national professional development program which engages educators with resources and opportunities to gain more information, insights and abilities to improve their skills. Lastly, she represents NABSE as a Teacher Diversity committee member of the American Federation of Teachers.
Bohanan is on loan from the Baltimore City Public Schools to serve full time as the Baltimore Teachers Union Liaison for Support Services where she manages, coordinates and mentors para-educators seeking to become teachers. In addition, recommending college courses for teachers and professional service related personnel seeking to gain and/or renew their certification.
Gerri was raised in Brooklyn, New York. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Sojourner-Douglass College, her Master’s degree and her Mind, Brain and Teaching Certification from Johns Hopkins University. She is currently an Adjunct Professor and lives in Baltimore, Maryland. She firmly believes, “We can’t teach if we are not learning.”
Affirmations
"Closing achievement gaps is a critical issue. The performance of Blacks is systematically different from that of other racial and ethnic groups. Decreasing gaps in student achievement means that we must increase the learning gains of Blacks."
- National Education Association
"The gap between teachers and students of color continues to grow. Over the past three years, the demographic divide between teachers and students of color has increased by 3 percentage points, and today, students of color make up almost half of the public school population. But teachers of color are just 18 percent of the teaching profession."
- Center for American Progress
"African-American students, particularly males, are far more likely to be suspended or expelled from school than their peers. Black students make up 18% of the students in the CRDC sample, but 35% of the students suspended once, and 39% of the students expelled."
- U.S. Department of Education
Contact Us
Arizona Alliance of Black School Educators
1334 E. Chandler Blvd., Ste. #5-D32
Phoenix, AZ 85048
Phone: 602-730-4080
Fax: 480-460-2105
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All Rights Reserved.
About Us
AzABSE pledges to continue serving as educational advocates for children who have been poorly served in the past. We further pledge to ensure that African-American and all other diverse students are effectively educated in the present and are accorded priorities for the future. We pledge to lead the way through the creation of a concrete model that demonstrates the goals of academic and cultural excellence.