Why Black Teachers Are Leaving

Why Black Teachers Are Leaving

In a previous blog post, I wrote about the lack of diversity among teachers. While many people and organizations are working to address the problem, the problem might still exist no matter what solution they find. “Nationally, 19% of teachers of color move schools or leave the profession annually, as compared to 15% of white teachers. The mover rates—transferring from one school to another—are much higher for teachers of color. This is problematic because when a teacher moves to a different school, it can have similar impacts on the students and school as if the teacher had left the profession.” (Barnum, 2018)
There are many reasons for teachers of any race to leave the profession. For black teachers, many of the reasons are unique. Some of the reasons include microaggressions, the ‘invisible’ tax, and a lack of community (Terada, 2021). Microagressions are small interpersonal slights between and among people (Terada, 2021). An example would be someone saying that I have an easier time in the classroom regarding discipline and classroom management because I’m black. That seems like a compliment, but it’s actually an insult. I don’t have many discipline and classroom management issues because I work well with students, and I can build strong relationships with my students. The ‘invisible’ tax is imposed on teachers of color when they are seen as experts on any questions regarding racial diversity (King, 2016). The tax is also imposed when it is assumed the black teacher will be the disciplinarian for students of color at the school based on the assumption they will be better able to communicate with the students of color (King, 2016). This tax also takes a toll on a teacher’s time; doing all of this extra stuff on top of everyday teaching responsibilities can become a burden (King, 2016). The lack of community is a problem because black teachers make up 7% of the teachers in the United States (National Center for Education Statistics, 2020). It isn’t easy to form a community with other teachers of color when you are the only teacher of color at a school site.

Many factors are working against teachers of color. These issues need to be addressed because studies have shown that having black teachers benefits students. “In a 2017 study published by the Institute of Labor Economics, researchers found that low-income Black male elementary school students who were paired with a Black teacher in the third, fourth, or fifth grades were 39 percent less likely to drop out of high school. The researchers also found that matching low-income Black students of both sexes with at least one Black teacher between the third and fifth grades increased their aspirations to attend a four-year college by 19 percent.” (Perry, 2020)

Barnum, M. (2018, July 25). Black teachers leave schools at higher rates — but why? Chalkbeat. https://www.chalkbeat.org/2018/7/25/21105406/black-teachers-leave-schools-at-higher-rates-but-why

Barnum, M. (2019, November 1). Why Do Teachers of Color Leave at Higher Rates Than White Teachers? Education Evolving. https://www.educationevolving.org/blog/2019/07/why-do-teachers-of-color-leave-at-higher-rates-than-white-teachers#:%7E:text=Nationally%2C%2019%25%20of%20teachers%20of,to%2015%25%20of%20white%20teachers.&text=This%20is%20problematic%20because%20when,teacher%20had%20left%20the%20profession.

King, J. (2016, May 15). The Invisible Tax on Teachers of Color. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-invisible-tax-on-black-teachers/2016/05/15/6b7bea06-16f7-11e6-aa55-670cabef46e0_story.html

National Center for Education Statistics. (2020, May). The Condition of Education – Preprimary, Elementary, and Secondary Education – Teachers and Staff – Characteristics of Public School Teachers – Indicator May (2020). The Condition Of Education. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_clr.asp

Perry, A. (2020, October 21). The educational value of having a black teacher in a classroom. The Hechinger Report. https://hechingerreport.org/the-educational-value-of-a-black-teacher/

Terada, Y. (2021, March 26). Why Black Teachers Walk Away. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/why-black-teachers-walk-away