The last two weeks of education reporting have seen a renewal of a familiar lament: Black teachers are leaving the profession in numbers greater than their white peers and other teachers of color. According to a new report by the RAND Corporation, Black teachers were more likely than white teachers to report a plan to leave the profession after the 2020-2021 school year. While pandemic-related stressors like lack of adequate child care, illness, and seismic shifts in curriculum and school structures are key contributors to the issue, this recently planned exodus is a dangerous escalation in the lack of racial parity between students of color - who now make up over 50% of the student population - and Black teachers who comprise a paltry 7% of public school educators.
The real-life implications of this are extremely frustrating. What is also frustrating about these numbers is that we know WHY Black teachers are underrepresented, but like so many race-related issues in this country, lack the collective will to implement solutions.
