Have you ever looked around your school community and asked “where are all of the Black teachers?” The National Center for Education Statistics indicates that more than 50% of public school children are students of color, but less than 20% of their teachers are also people of color. This might not seem immediately problematic but data suggests otherwise. Research shows that Black students are 13% more likely to complete high school and begin college if they have had one Black teacher in elementary school and 32% more likely if they have had more than one. Further, this research notes that the impact of access to Black teachers is even more profound for Black boys, in particular. Fueled by a desire to transform this status quo, there is a vibrant movement afoot to revolutionize schools and the lives of Black students by increasing the number of Black teachers.
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