Why Can't California, Districts Recruit and Retain More Black Teachers?

  • by:
  • Source: KQED
  • 04/05/2024
Recruiting and retaining Black teachers has taken on new urgency in recent years as California lawmakers try to ease the state’s teacher shortage. The state and individual school districts have launched initiatives to recruit teachers of color, but educators and advocates say more needs to be done.

Hiring a diverse group of teachers helps all students, but the impact is particularly significant for students of color, who then score higher on tests and are more likely to graduate from college, according to the Learning Policy Institute. A recently released report also found that Black boys are less likely to be identified for special education when they have a Black teacher.

In the last five years, state lawmakers have made earning a credential easier and more affordable, and have offered incentives for school staff to become teachers — all moves meant to ease the teacher shortage and help to diversify the educator workforce.

Despite efforts by the state and school districts, the number of Black teachers doesn’t seem to be increasing. Black teachers say that to keep them in the classroom, teacher preparation must be more affordable, pay and benefits increased, and more done to ensure they are treated with respect, supported and given opportunities to lead.

Please help put parents in charge of their child’s education by forwarding this article to other parents, family, friends and voters.

Other Articles

Calif. Lawsuit Raises Concerns Over Use of Education Data
An ongoing education equity deals with a policy whereby researchers, in order to gain access to private education data, must agree not to release information from the data or testify about it without advance permission.
Read More
Should Voters Decide What Schools Teach?
Californians may vote to require a new high school finance course. Critics argue it sets a bad precedent.
Read More
Solano students, teachers prepare for the ‘big one’
According to www.shakeout.org there was more than 56 million people participating in the drill globally.
Read More
Guerneville School District teachers authorize strike, citing poor pay, long days
The Guerneville School District board discussed its negotiations with its teachers’ union in closed session Monday night, with no resolution reached.
Read More
Public Schools Struggle to Say the Right Thing About the Israel-Hamas War
Across the country, public schools, like colleges and universities, are facing backlash as they try to respond to the Hamas attacks and war in Gaza.
Read More
Educator Warns that "Teachers Pay Teachers" Can Actually Get You Fired
Teachers Pay Teachers is a great source for educators who want to help fellow teachers while earning extra cash. Sadly, it can also get them fired.
Read More
A second one-day teachers strike is happening this Monday
Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation President Samantha Becotte announces a second provincewide one-day teachers strike in a call with reporters Thursday.
Read More
American classrooms increase safety measures due to school shootings
With the rising number of school shootings and a lack of meaningful legislation to curb gun violence, schools and parents are attempting to take safety into their own hands.
Read More

Get latest news delivered daily!

We will send you breaking news right to your inbox

© 2025 educationopportunity.org, Privacy Policy | FPPC #1460602