As the school year ends, teachers of color across the country are quietly weighing whether to return in the fall, at twice the rate of their white counterparts. Despite facing higher attrition rates, Black educators consistently report the compared to their peers, demonstrating their continued passion for their students and the work.
When teachers leave the classroom permanently, their departure does not just affect their individual careersit has a ripple effect: students of color are deprived of experienced teachers, hurting academic progress, and school district budgets suffer, with each departure costing up to $25,000.
In the rush to respond to a national teacher shortage, school districts are filling spots with candidates who are neither trained nor ready, yet expected to somehow engage students and be responsible for their progress.
For the sake of our children, we have to shift our mindset from simply filling vacancies to building sustainable education careers, especially for Black and Latino educators.
Teachers of color are often placed at under-resourced schools and expected to do more with less than their white peers, while their commitment to the work is taken for granted. When teachers of color feel valued and receive financial and professional support, they can bring their full capacity to transforming student outcomes.
Deep, classroom-based preparation
Stanching the exodus of teachers of color from the education field begins by expanding our national focus from supporting the whole student to supporting the whole teacher. Investing in our teachers equips them to support and motivate our students.
When we invest in training and retaining teachers to grow in the career pipeline, students inherently benefit, and all of our communities are stronger. The fastest and most cost-effective way to engage students and strengthen their outcomes is by cultivating experienced teachers.
Teachers who enter the profession with the needed education, experience, and mentorship are more likely to stay in the classroom. Models that center on deep, classroom-based preparation, structured coaching and mentoring, and a supportive community are the foundation of educator retention.
Keeping Black and Latino teachers in the fieldto reflect the growing diversity of our countryrequires a multi-faceted and coordinated approach, encompassing mentorship, professional development, financial support for training, higher pay, and genuine appreciation for what teachers of color bring to the classroom.
Finances should not be a barrier to aspiring educators of color seeking the credentials they need for economic and life mobility. And once they are in the classroom, we need to provide ongoing professional development so they grow into the teachers they want to be and that our kids deserve.
Beginning of a career arc
Districts are not equipped to do this alone, and they need partners to actualize these goals.
prepares aspiring educators with the training, confidence, and support to make an impact on students and sustain a teaching career, using the 5 Cs: community, clinical placement, coaching and mentoring, certification, and coursework. The organization’smaster’s component gives teachers of color the tools and opportunity to excel in their craft and grow into leaders.
By removing the barriers of cost, bureaucracy, and self-directed research, teachers are placed on a clear, supported path to excel and grow into the leaders schools require.
The begins building the teacher pipeline in high school, offering a year-round high school career and technical education course for students interested in teaching, along with fellowships and scholarships to attract people of color to the education field, which helps school districts recruit and retain Black teachers, with a special focus on Black men.
Educators of color particularly need pathways to leadership. Just as students do better when they see themselves reflected in their teachers, teachers of color need to see themselves reflected in leadership positions like principals and superintendents.
When teachers are empowered, students thrive. To prepare our students for a life of learning and success, we must first support the adults beside them.
When we treat teacher preparation as the beginning of a career arc rather than the end of a credentialing process, we stop measuring success by placement rates and start measuring it by the depth, longevity, and impact of the educators our system can produce.
