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Keeping black teachers

Why African American teachers are leaving the profession faster than they're entering it.

December 1, 2016 | by Suzanne Pekow

Keeping black teachers
Ismael Jimenez, a teacher at Kensington Creative & Performing Arts High School in Philadelphia, Pa.Lexey Swall/Grain Images
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Keeping black teachers
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Listen to this story on the Educate podcast. Subscribe now:
Apple Podcasts | RadioPublic

Students in American schools are more diverse than ever, yet the vast majority of teachers - nearly 82 percent - are white. That's not because people of color don't want to be teachers. In fact, minority teachers are entering the profession at a higher rate than white teachers. But they're also more likely to quit. Turnover is particularly high among black teachers, especially in big cities.

Reporter Kristina Rizga wrote about this problem in a recent article for Mother Jones, called "Black Teachers Matter":

While white Americans are slowly waking up to the issue of police harassment and violence in black communities, many are unaware of the quiet but broad damage the loss of African American educators inflicts on the same communities.

On this week's podcast, senior correspondent Emily Hanford talks to Rizga about why black teachers matter, and why they're leaving the profession. They were joined by Ismael Jimenez, who teaches at a public high school in Philadelphia.

You can hear what students have to say about why black teachers matter in this program produced by students at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Md. (Full disclosure: Emily Hanford's son is a junior at Blair and co-produced one of the other segments in the program).

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