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An Indianapolis nonprofit called  has launched a program to help Black educators buy their first homes. 

The idea sprung from conversations with educators who said low pay drove them away from teaching, CEO Blake Nathan said. While his organization, which is dedicated to building diversity among teaching staffs, can鈥檛 help educators earn higher salaries, it can provide financial support for other living expenses. 

Nathan said the organization鈥檚 long-term goal is to grow its support for Black educators in an effort to help build generational wealth within the community. If successful, Nathan said, those results could trickle down to students.

Studies have shown that having greater representation of Black teachers in classrooms can positively affect student performance, suspension frequency and graduation rates, Nathan said. In IPS, for example, Black educators make up 20% of the district鈥檚 teaching population while more than 40% of students are Black.

鈥淲e have to find ways to retain those Black teachers because we understand the importance of having Black teachers in our school systems,鈥� Nathan said. 鈥淭his is a true testament of philanthropy to circulate the dollar to get it directly into the hands of the beneficiary who needs it most.鈥�

The program, called , will cover closing costs of up to $5,000 for homes in the Martindale Brightwood area. Educate ME is partnering with the Martindale Brightwood Community Development Corporation to offer educators early access to view the organization鈥檚 inventory of new homes before they鈥檙e listed on popular real estate websites like Zillow. Nathan said the neighborhood organization has more than a dozen new homes on track to be completed by the end of the year.

Educate ME also will sponsor down payments for existing homes in the neighborhood and is interested in partnering with other Indianapolis-area community development corporations in the future.

The Teacherville program funds Black educators 鈥� including teachers, counselors and school support staff 鈥� working in any Indianapolis school. To be eligible, educators must meet certain income and credit score requirements.

Educate ME also partners with the Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership to connect teachers with resources for homebuyer education classes and support for credit building, regardless of their income levels.

鈥淭he homebuying process can be very overwhelming to anyone,鈥� Nathan said. 鈥淲hat we want to do is think about, 鈥楬ow can we streamline this process? How can we make this process less intimidating for a teacher?鈥欌��

Nathan said Teacherville set an initial goal of supporting 25 educators and now has at least 10 others on a waitlist. The program, however, is still adding to its waitlist and Nathan encourages educators to apply through the聽.

The initiative is supported by a gift from the African American Legacy Fund of Indianapolis and the donor advised fund of the Indianapolis Foundation, which provided $100,000. Educate ME is now seeking community donations to fund down payment assistance for educators on the Teacherville waitlist.

Larry Smith, president and CEO of Indianapolis-based  said the program seeks not only to help recruit and retain teachers, but also to contribute to the resurgence of the Martindale Brightwood area.

He said he and other community leaders were drawn to helping Educate ME because of its plans to scale up support beyond Teacherville鈥檚 initial donations.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 have millions and millions of dollars,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淏ut, in terms of helping to attract, recruit and retain teachers, we felt that we could have a real impact.鈥�

On this point, we are failing as a nation. Though , only 1 in 5 and share the same racial or ethnic background. At the district level, .

Much has been written about the need to diversify the pipeline of future educators. Less discussed 鈥� and arguably even more important 鈥� is the reality that educators of color are thinking about leaving their jobs, or education altogether. They desperately need help, right here, right now.

Run-of-the-mill support won鈥檛 cut it. Faced with , leaders of color need guidance and tools specific to their experiences navigating the schools as people of color. When leaders of color thrive, so do and .

We are fortunate to have access to this type of support, regularly meeting with more than a dozen other men of color who work as school and district leaders through .

For us, coming together in community with a group of guys who get what we鈥檙e going through has been life-changing. We love our jobs, but sometimes they don鈥檛 love us back. This can be exhausting and demoralizing. Dedicated space just for us affords us the chance to reflect on our experiences and to exhale, regroup and re-energize our leadership. This experience is not the norm. 

These discussions are anchored in the , a flexible roadmap to help educators of color navigate leadership journeys. The research-backed tool articulates 10 essential competencies 鈥� knowledge, skills, mindsets, dispositions and behaviors 鈥� that interviews with more than 300 education leaders of color across the country revealed are most critical to their success. This resource is focused specifically on fostering resilience among educators of color and reinforcing steady, confident leadership in the face of many distinct challenges.

How can districts tailor similar development and support for educators of color?

In Atlanta, I (Dr. Hunter) lead many courses. For each essential competency, I鈥檝e identified and created aligned professional development opportunities that enable our guys to unpack key concepts, pause and reflect on their responses to various scenarios, and get real practice being both proactive and reactive to a range of leadership dilemmas. Eighteen aspiring leaders come together once or twice a month for these sessions, which take place at the district office during the week and at the Georgia State University Principals Center on weekends. Leadership coaches also provide 1:1 virtual support.

As one example, take the Executive Stance competency. Mastering that just-right balance between confidence and humility is crucial when helping families feel secure in the face of a crisis or when asking staff to lean into new ways of working together. Being assertive without coming across as 鈥渁ggressive鈥� looks different for a man of color than it does for, say, a white woman. The goal is to empower team members to lead in ways that are true to their identities and will be received well by their communities. All leaders 鈥� especially those of color 鈥� need opportunities to practice to get their unique Executive Stance just right. The Atlanta Public Schools leadership team wants principals across the district hitting home runs when they鈥檙e on the job, and the best way to make that happen is by giving leaders as many at-bats as possible with all the curveballs we know are coming their way.

In Los Angeles, I (Dr. Nava) offer professional development to educators of color in alignment with the district 鈥檚 focus on cultivating a diverse, well-supported workforce. The district is unusual in that it runs a two-year principal induction program in house 鈥� the Los Angeles Administrative Services Credential program, which is approved by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Participants serve in administrative roles, complete assignments at their schools and receive 40 hours of leadership coaching each year .Since 2016, 600 educators have participated in the program.

Men of color make up about 20% of the program’s participants, and many are responsible for managing athletics or school discipline. These are important functions for a school, but an educator who doesn鈥檛 have instructional leadership experience will not be prepared for the principalship. Through the program, I help aspiring leaders of color share their professional goals with their principals and advocate for opportunities to observe and practice instructional leadership. For example, a participant might request to assist the principal in executing a data review session with the math department and to shadow the principal before, during and after a subsequent classroom observation to more deeply understand the planning protocols and the coaching and feedback process.

If a principal is unable to provide on-site learning, I ensure that aspiring leaders gain meaningful experience elsewhere, such as by mentoring novice teachers or leading district-run training sessions. I pair this real-world practice with coaching, where I teach, model and dig into the essential competencies in ways that reflect each leader鈥檚 personal and professional goals. 

Overall, we both prioritize pushing leaders of color to engage in purposeful self-reflection around the essential leadership competencies. Having a conversation with oneself 鈥� by writing in a journal or reflecting aloud 鈥� can be really hard, especially when thinking about a mistake or misstep. But doing it surrounded by others who鈥檝e been there and can help illuminate often-overlooked strengths feels safer. 

Most importantly, this work has reaffirmed for each of us a deep commitment to cultivating the next generation of leaders for American schools and society by promoting a more diverse and inclusive vision of extraordinary leadership. Our students deserve nothing less.

鈥擟arter G. Woodson

Public schools, it seems, are, once again, the fresh front in the culture wars, the next 鈥渄emocratic institution鈥� to be undermined and remade in the sanitized sepia of revisionist white supremacy. The have always spread through .听

Fresh off a series of electoral repudiations of various efforts to acknowledge in meaningful terms the impact of systemic racism on our children, our schools and society, and a general gnashing of teeth from white conservatives, there is a moment of possibility in the air for alt-right demagogues and would-be heirs to the MAGA trash throne.  

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is heir apparent. While a federal judge its implementation earlier this month, DeSantis was able to pass into law last year his Stop WOKE Act, which prohibits the teaching and mention of systemic racism in schools and workplaces; was able the College Board鈥檚 Advanced Placement African American Studies course and is now going after , getting one publisher to omit references to race, including in the story of Rosa Parks鈥檚 arrest.

And while I laud the efforts of those who are fighting back 鈥斅爄ncluding three Florida high school students, represented by , who said they planned to sue DeSantis over trying to kill the AP African American Studies course 鈥攖he Florida governor鈥檚 actions are s of more to come from his ilk as .

White America鈥檚 power and position are so deeply entrenched in the very fabric of American schooling and society, the by the modicum of diversity, equity and inclusion work now being done in our public schools would be laughable if it didn鈥檛 have such chilling and dangerous consequences for Black and brown children.  

From how we finance public schools to how we assign our children to them, the prevailing structure of traditional public education is inexorably tilted against Black and brown students. The form and function of our traditional public school systems are a produced by racial and economic inequity. 

I worked with fellow educator-activists at the to create the Freedom Schools Literacy Academy in Philadelphia, which have since expanded to Camden, New Jersey, Detroit, Michigan and now Memphis, Tennessee. Our approach integrates proven best practices of the , the Philadelphia Freedom Schools, and the independent Black Schools movement, with a culturally responsive, affirming and sustaining early-literacy curriculum.听

At our summer academy, expert Black educators coach aspiring Black college teacher apprentices and work with high school pre-apprentices exploring careers in education. The effect for our underserved Black and brown elementary students is the personalizedthey need, coupled with a deepening of their racial identity.

Scads of provide evidence that effective, coherent, ; rich, robust, rigorous content; and are the magic ingredients of high-quality learning. Too often we have inadequacies or incompetencies at each one of those levels. None of our systems are aligned for cultural proficiency and creating the kinds of learning opportunities our students need to both be successful academically and feel connected with and supported by their teachers as people.听

Research also shows that exposing students to challenging and even in the classroom increases civic matters. Navigating controversial topics in the classroom builds communication and critical thinking skills. With a well-equipped teacher, students can ask difficult questions, grapple with ambiguity and appreciate the perspectives of other people.

However, too many teacher preparation programs and their faculties have proven time and time again to be woefully short of truly culturally responsive to Black and brown communities. The heights of tenured teachers’ college posts are too far removed from the lived experiences of Black and brown students. 

We know that when Black students have Black teachers, they . When they have one Black teacher by third grade, they are 13% more likely to enroll in college. With two Black teachers in the mix early on, that stat jumps to 32%. When Black boys from underserved communities have a Black teacher, they鈥檙e far more likely to experience on-time high school graduation. In fact, their dropout rates plummet by almost 40%. Our Fortifying the student-to-educator-activist pipeline is what we seek, because we know it is critical to

Dr. Carter G. Woodson in his genius knew that there would be no lynching if it did not start in classrooms. writes that Woodson asserted that the violence inflicted upon Black bodies began at the level of ideas and knowledge: 鈥淭he knowledge system of schools constructed Black people as ahistorical subjects, obscured historical systems of oppression, and taught students to look to White-Eurocentric colonial ideology as a human standard. At an epistemic level, Black people were 鈥渉uman beings of the lower order.鈥澛�

Schools failed to offer African American students any cogent social analysis of their historically constructed oppression, no alternative system of representation to interpret Black life. Woodson recognized this phenomenon as a structured system of 鈥渕is-education.鈥� 

The work we do is critical to the education of Black children nationwide. We owe it to who entrust schools with the care of the persons of most value, their children. We hope to express to those parents that we, too, value their children. We see , what is possible when students and teachers are connected in a supporting and trusting way. From strengthening a student鈥檚 racial and ethnic identity and promoting a sense of belonging to improving critical thinking skills and strengthening reading and math understanding, makes big differences for students 鈥� for all students.

The moment shows us both the challenge and opportunity in . The current post-truth political climate puts in sharp relief the need for rigorous and clear-eyed teaching in our public schools.听聽

An unsettling proportion of Americans now hold views that are increasingly ahistorical and untethered from reality on everything from voting rights to race relations. Beyond showing how easily whole segments of society can be manipulated, we also see the urgent need for teachers that are well prepared for the profession and possess the skills and competencies needed to equip students with what they need to navigate ambiguity, uncertainty, and outright racism, particularly of the sort manufactured for political advantage.

Doing so will require all of us to do our part. That means teacher preparation programs and institutions and finally, fully embrace a . It also means that we need to do a much better job of getting more Black and brown young people interested in and pursuing a career in teaching.听And it means that we need schools to engage and empower communities of color and co-create a vision of public education that reflects their diverse needs and aspirations.听

There鈥檚 a tremendous amount of work to be done and precious little time to do it. Everyday that goes by is another opportunity for us to slide further from the more perfect union that we all deserve to see realized.听Progress isn鈥檛 promised, but it is possible if we have a public education system that supports it. That starts with ensuring teachers can teach 鈥斅燼nd are prepared without fear or reservation.

A familiar anxiety set in. 

It wasn鈥檛 until New York City high school science teacher Joshua Modeste saw photos of the teenagers involved in the December stabbing the tension eased: He did not know her. 

A little over a year had passed since he lost his first student, , 16, shot in the stomach a few blocks away from school. Soon after, he lost another when Benji鈥檚 best friend was briefly incarcerated. Ever since, when he hears about violence involving a young person, he feels dread build in his gut.

A few hours passed before he was reminded of why. A student, hanging out in his room over lunch to do makeup work, yelled out, 鈥淲hat?! Oh my God,鈥� before bolting into the hall. The Harlem victim, Saniyah, was her friend.

Modeste felt unprepared, and worn out. Within one year, he and his mostly Black and Latino students at Harlem鈥檚 Urban Assembly School of Global Commerce navigated death, prisons, racial violence, a continuing pandemic. As one of the school鈥檚 few Black male teachers he shouldered a disproportionate weight through it all, and isolation has become . 

And while the youth mental health crisis mounts, so does the toll for educators on the frontlines 鈥� especially as force teachers like Modeste to manage alone. Traction is building for student supports, but some worry teachers are being left behind 鈥� a direct hit to learning recovery.

鈥淣obody in the teaching department or other teacher candidates talked to us about that stuff 鈥� trauma and grief, emotions, and how to manage all of that while trying to maintain a classroom of 30 kids who are going through their own situations at home,鈥� Modeste said of his teacher preparation program at SUNY Plattsburgh.听

(While there is no class on these topics at Plattsburgh, the curriculum has been revised since Modeste鈥檚 graduation in 2016 and 鈥渢hese themes are woven through many of our courses,鈥� Maureen Squires, chair of the joint bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 program, told 蜜桃影视.)聽

鈥淚t was kind of like, 鈥業f you can’t handle this, then this is not the job for you,鈥欌�� Modeste said. Still, there鈥檚 not a doubt in his mind that he should continue teaching. In fact, he鈥檚 flourishing professionally, last year among the prestigious FLAG Awardees for Teaching Excellence. 

But he is struggling. 

Teachers are for experiencing more job-related stress than any other profession. Yet help for classroom leaders is hard to come by. Mental health insurance coverage varies district to district, if visits are covered at all. Even in New York City 鈥� where teacher copays for outpatient, in-network mental health care max out at $25 鈥� provider shortages and stigma can prevent educators from accessing care consistently.听

The demand for professional support is also growing rapidly. Anxiety and depression symptoms in teachers are on the rise, highest for early career educators and teachers of color, according to Leigh McLean, a researcher at the University of Delaware. 

Overall in the 2018-19 school year, 4,550 New York City teachers accessed services through their union, the United Federation of Teachers. Last year, the number exceeded 20,000. Daily calls to the program soared, from about 20 to 100 per day; hundreds of school social workers volunteered after school and on weekends to meet the need.听

For McLean, who has studied the impact of teacher depression for years, the reality is simple 鈥� educators have been given an impossible task. 

鈥淓specially through COVID, we’re putting the emphasis on teachers themselves to support their own well-being. But we’ve created a system that is not supportive of their well-being,鈥� she said.

Modeste knows this to be true. Now in his seventh year of teaching, he relied on instinct, not training, to meet Saniyah鈥檚 friend in the hall that December afternoon. 

He asked about their , whether her mom knew her too, what she might need. He told her grief surfaces in many ways, but 鈥淚 can’t tell you where that starts or ends,鈥� before offering an empty room for her to cry. 

鈥楳y anxiety lives in my belly鈥�

The son of Trinidadian pastors and youngest of three brothers, Modeste didn鈥檛 grow up talking about mental health. Don鈥檛 cry, give it to God in prayer. 

鈥淪ociety has told me that Black men are supposed to be strong and figure things out on their own,鈥� he said. 鈥淏lack men don’t talk to me about therapy. So it doesn’t seem like something that’s normal.鈥�

But the emotional weight was building each day. Soon after the murder, one of Modeste鈥檚 students sat visibly crying in class. Benji鈥檚 best friend. He did not know what to wear to the funeral 鈥� this would be his first. 

Entering grades at the semester鈥檚 end, Benji鈥檚 name on his roster stared at him, waiting for an entry. In November, Facebook memories brought back pictures, and emotions, at the year anniversary. The funeral was the first time he had seen many of his students cry, especially the boys.

鈥淚 thought I got through it. And then this time of the year resurfaced some stuff for me,鈥� he said.

Psychologists dub the phenomenon or empathetic distress. Studies have mainly focused on clinical staff like social workers or therapists. Tish Jennings, an expert on teacher stress and social-emotional learning at the University of Virginia, said researchers have only recently started to explore how it affects teachers and students. 

鈥淵ou need therapy when you have trauma exposure,鈥� she told 蜜桃影视. 鈥淚t’s very hard these days to get good treatment, because there’s such a huge need, and there’s such a shortage of good clinicians.鈥�

Because of the clinical shortages impacting New York City teachers, 鈥渕embers who cannot wait for an appointment sometimes go to a mental health provider outside the networks. These professionals often don’t take insurance and can charge what they want,鈥� said Alison Gendar, a UFT spokesperson.

Unaware of the options provided by the union and in crisis, Modeste urgently searched for a male therapist of color last fall. He ultimately paid over $120 for a month of Talkspace sessions, but could not afford to continue treatment. The NYC Department of Education did not provide grief counseling to staff or students after losing Benji, according to Modeste.

鈥淚f you have to deal with traumatized people all the time and you don’t have the skills, you can try to numb yourself as a way to protect yourself from feeling those feelings,鈥� Jennings explained. 鈥淵ou can also become kind of challenged or jaded, sarcastic as a way to protect yourself. And you can also become very overwhelmed and feel depressed and hopeless.鈥�

Teachers鈥� depression is shown to 鈥� teachers plan less, , may rely on independent or group instead of the more demanding whole-class instruction, and are less warm with students. 

High stress , too; Jennings described a scenario where a teacher under extreme stress is quicker to overreact, taking a small disruption personally, 鈥淚 might not realize this is normal kid behavior and become more punitive in response to that.鈥�

Ideally, teachers should receive training or therapy to become aware of their emotional state so as to, 鈥渞espond to situations thoughtfully instead of reacting automatically,鈥� she added. 

Modeste is beginning to recognize when physical sensations pop up and articulate his needs, or to meditate 鈥� skills he picked up at a mindfulness workshop by NYC Men Teach. 

鈥淢y anxiety lives in my belly,鈥� he said.

Experts told 蜜桃影视 teaching mindfulness and compassionate is necessary, but by themselves, cannot reduce the high levels of stress teachers face. The most effective changes are system-wide, not individual: comprehensive health care packages; staff devoted to teacher well-being; professional development; and establishing .听

An invisible tax

They鈥檙e the kinds of support that teachers are craving, particularly those who serve students disproportionately impacted by poverty, homelessness, incarceration or violence. For Modeste, constant exposure to violence and death in the community and online weighs heavy on the mind. In his youth, the only time he saw dead bodies was at funerals. 

Last May during class, he confronted what he called a new 鈥渄eath culture:鈥� a student watching the Buffalo grocery store massacre video on Twitch during class. He had mistaken it, like many young people, for a first-person shooter game. This fall, images of rappers Takeoff and PnB Rock鈥檚 death circulated.

鈥淚 was like, ‘No, why are you watching these things? Do you understand the impact that this stuff is having on you?’鈥� he recalled. 鈥淚 don’t know if people are processing with them, what that means for you to look at that person, someone that you looked up to or somebody that you listen to their music, to see a picture of them on the floor dead.鈥澛�

It鈥檚 also not lost on him that, for some students, he may be the only one with whom they鈥檙e comfortable talking. Researchers and those in the field refer to this as an 鈥溾�� on educators of color, often among the few adults in a school who represent their students鈥� racial identities, are more likely to share life experiences.听

Black teachers report having to discipline students of color and be liaisons to families more often because of their race, according to the Center for Black Educator Development. They may also navigate more lack of trust from administrators and colleagues.

Compared to white male teachers, Black teachers spend counseling students outside of class, about five hours per week. Modeste, for instance, shared his phone number with students when they went remote for the first time in the spring of 2020 鈥� a way to stay connected if they needed it. And many did. 

He fielded calls throughout distance learning, while battling his own anxiety and isolation, witnessing anti-Black violence week after week. In sometimes hour-long conversations, he listened to students vent about fights they had with their mother; college applications and whether STEM could really be an option for them.听

Since returning to class, some have opened up about feeling hypersexualized, like they have to perform masculinity and some idea of what it is to be a Black man. Modeste keeps a note from one student, who was suicidal while in his class, in his desk at all times.

While the staff at Global Commerce is racially diverse, Modeste finds himself dispelling assumptions staff place on students 鈥� about how they spend their money or why their families live in nearby affordable housing projects 鈥� something no one had done for him. And like most other , Modeste is one of the longest-serving teachers.听

鈥淚t creates a situation where students feel either abandoned or they feel like they don’t have anyone to connect to 鈥� It puts an extra responsibility on me,鈥� he said. 

The research is clear in this regard, according to McLean: 鈥淭eachers and students in these underserved contexts are really experiencing the most trauma and are the ones that need the most prioritized and targeted support.鈥�

Modeste knew that would be his reality before beginning his career, but he鈥檚 still realizing the toll. 

In December, he briefly tried psychotherapy again through a free Betterhelp trial, offered through a teacher honor society. He had a couple sessions with a Black male therapist and wanted to continue, but the $200 per month price tag stopped him. 

For now, Modeste and his advisory students have started role-play scenarios on setting boundaries and saying no, swapping TV shows and music that helps them cope with feeling overwhelmed. Leaning on cultural affinity groups and colleagues, he is finding ways to 鈥渞eframe鈥� the parts of his life that serve as informal therapy: journaling, writing affirmations like 鈥榝ocus鈥� and 鈥榣ove鈥� on his bathroom mirror in Expo marker and caring for his pet fish.

In his Ph.D. program at Columbia Teachers College, he鈥檚 researching ways to make science education more culturally responsive, and the experiences of male science teachers of color.听

He doesn鈥檛 hide emotions anymore, or ignore what鈥檚 happening outside of school. His default demeanor is bubbly, but on days he鈥檚 going through something, he smiles and talks less. 

鈥淎nd kids will ask me like, you know, ‘Yo, Modeste are you OK?’ That’s when I open up 鈥� 鈥極h, you know, I’m going through some stuff with my family, I just need some space right now,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淚 think that that shows them that when I ask them if they’re OK, the responses that I’m trying to elicit.鈥�

At a school with few Black students or faculty, Whitman saw himself reflected through educator Rhodes Williams 鈥攚ho served as a mentor in Whitman鈥檚 academic and personal development. Through Williams鈥檚 persistent support, Whitman gained a full-ride scholarship to play football at San Diego State University.

The pair remain in contact as Whitman 鈥� now instructional leader of the Fremont Community Schools 鈥� continues to ask for guidance from Williams.

鈥淗e was very intentional about pulling me, and a few of my friends at the time aside, guiding us, mentoring us, and pumping into us positivity. His influence has evolved and had an impact on why I became a teacher and why I do what I do today,鈥� said Whitman, speaking at a panel discussion at Fremont High School organized earlier this fall by the College Football Player Foundation.

Whitman and other panelists highlighted the unique role Black male educators play and the importance of recruitment and retention.

Across the country, Black male educators make up just 2% of teachers. In the Los Angeles Unified school district, just 8.3% of teachers are Black compared to 30.6% White and 46% Latino teachers, according to the district鈥檚 .

Uric Lamb, a Black 11th grader at Fremont High School said Black teachers are always there for him. 鈥淭hey are really determined to see Black kids succeed in life. They are so cool that they would always have tutoring to help kids get their grades up. They will always be on you to do the right thing.鈥�

Panelists shared their thoughts and observations on the importance of Black educators:

Hamilton High School teacher Kenneth Turner, who also advises the Black student union 鈥� one of the biggest in the nation, with 400 members 鈥� talked about what motivated him to transition from being a teacher鈥檚 assistant to a full-time teacher during the 1992 riots:

鈥淚 saw that this was no longer something that I just did, but something that I had to do. It became a mission at that point to be more connected with kids at a deeper level, and have much more to offer in terms of my college education.鈥�

Sherif El-Mekki, the founder of the Center for Black Educator Development, hosts a fellowship for high school students to explore education as a career path: 

While attending the Black Male Educators for Social Justice fellowship, El-Mekki said he and his classmates were not being encouraged to pursue teaching as often as white educator colleagues.

鈥淲e found that to be strange, no one had been recruited, tapped on the shoulder, had a conversation with, and we said, 鈥榳ell let鈥檚 ask our colleagues,鈥欌�� Most of our colleagues were white women. The average response from our colleagues in third grade was when they remembered someone inviting them to the profession. So third grade for one group, post-grad for another group. 

Irvin Davis, veteran social studies teacher, and coach at Dorsey High School, works to ensure Black history is accurately represented. His carefully crafted lesson plans over the past decades have been covered by the . Davis talked about how to incentivize Black students to explore educational career paths from a young age: 

鈥淚dentifying people early who want to be educators, the conversation needs to start in kindergarten, it needs to start in first grade, second grade 鈥� If you plant 鈥� an apple seed, it grows to be an apple tree. So by having the conversation with the young people about wanting to be educators early 鈥� when they get there they鈥檒l be like 鈥渢his is what I鈥檝e wanted to do my whole life,鈥� and then they will have more of an aptitude to stay in the profession.鈥�

Dr. A. Dee Williams, a professor at Cal State Los Angeles; also works as the principal investigator for the Los Angeles Urban Teacher Residency Program, which trains teachers to work in urban schools. Williams explained the crucial role HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges) play in recruiting more Black male educators to the district: 

鈥淐alifornia is the fifth largest feeder into HBCUs in the nation. We need to develop a 鈥榞row your own pipeline鈥� that really takes advantage of these folks because 50% of Black teachers in America are trained at an HBCU 鈥� A Stanford study found out 鈥渢hat students from HBCUs teachers have increased their achievement levels of their students by 5-8% compared to non-HBCUs teachers.鈥�

Whitman said there are some current LAUSD endeavors exposing Black high school students to teaching careers. Reginald Brookens, principal at King/Drew Medical Magnet manages a paid program where 9th through 12 graders may work as teaching assistants at Saturday classes in local elementary schools.

鈥淭hey do an effective job at that,鈥� said Whitman, 鈥渟o that is helping to build that identity for Black educators who want to go into the field of education.鈥�

This article is part of a collaboration between 蜜桃影视 and the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

Sara Balanta is an undergraduate student at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism pursuing a Bachelor鈥檚 degree in Journalism. She is a 2022 Dragon Kim Foundation Fellow where she hosts a project called “Teacher’s Aide +”, which conducts free renovations in schools to help brighten campus environments. Aside from writing her passions include youth activism, media culture and music.