Where Are All The Black Teachers?

From The Washington Post

The number of black teachers has dropped in nine U.S. cities

by Lindsey Layton | September 15, 2015

The number of black public school teachers in nine cities — including the country’s three largest school districts — dropped between 2002 and 2012, raising questions about whether those school systems are doing enough to maintain a diverse teaching corps, according to a new report to be released Wednesday.

The study by the Albert Shanker Institute, a think tank funded by the American Federation of Teachers, looked at teacher data from nine cities: Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Cleveland, New Orleans, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. The research found that each city saw a drop in the number of black teachers in traditional and charter schools.

The issue of teacher diversity is important because research has suggested that students who are racially paired with teachers — black teachers working with black students and Hispanic teachers working with Hispanic students — do better academically. Teachers of color also can serve as powerful role models for minority students, who are more likely to live in poor neighborhoods than white students and less likely to know other adults who are college graduates.

Read the rest of Layton’s post.

From EBONY

America’s Extreme Need for More Black Male Educators

Op-Ed by Dr. Larry Walker | January 27, 2016

Recently, a friend sent me a YouTube video of a group of students stepping during homecoming. The video didn’t appear any different than the dozens I have received throughout the year. But after looking closely, I recognized a familiar face. One of my former middle school students was helping her sorority sisters lead a stroll. What a great feeling to watch someone you taught and mentored defy the odds and achieve a level of success. Few people watching the video could understand the trials and tribulations this young lady had to overcome. 

I am sure that there are several current and former educators who may be reading this and thinking that they have had similar experiences. These are the dedicated bunch who have spent evenings, weekends, holidays, and after school hours attending athletic and academic events just to support their students. 

Read the rest of Walker’s post.

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Editorial

Black History Month provides a lens into the accomplishments of so many in the African American community. Students from all backgrounds benefit from diversity education. The light, however, dims on the subject of teacher recruitment and especially that of minority teachers. There is a growing epidemic in our schools. One that creates a deepening crevasse between students and the educators they so desperately need to learn from. It is one thing to explore thoughtful curriculum and learning experiences around such meaningful subjects as is the case with Black History Month.

It is entirely different and more complex to explore the deficits in overall teacher recruitment and the impact stale curriculum and practices has on the marketing of the profession of teaching. Hopefully stories, like those above, will shine a light on the importance not only of rich, diversified content, but also on the talent disseminating information to students in classrooms all around this country.