There’s a Shortage of Black Teachers: Here’s Why It Matters

I spent so many of my formative years with my teachers. I didn’t always feel safe or seen in school because I rarely had Black teachers. I remember feeling comfortable talking to my kindergarten teacher about hearing a racist comment on the playground because she was also Black. Unlike my other teachers, I remember her actually reprimanding students who made racist comments when they were just four years old. I truly believe that all Black students should have a Black teacher at some point. It’s incredibly valuable for Black students to have Black role models, both in and out of the classroom.

Unfortunately, some students who are Black never have a Black teacher. I only had two Black teachers from kindergarten through 8th grade. I didn’t have a single Black teacher in high school. It really hit me that I didn’t have teachers who looked like me. Sometimes the shortage of Black teachers made going to school frustrating because I felt so alone. In high school, I desperately wanted someone who understood my culture, in addition to the other four Black girls in my class. Since graduating from high school over a decade ago, it seems that even more Black teachers are leaving the education sector. So I spoke with several Black women in education about the shortage of Black teachers and why it matters.

Black teachers experience burnout

In 2022, the turnover rate for Black teachers was 22%. The 2024 State of the American Teacher Survey found that Black teachers are more likely to say they plan to leave at the end of the year than white teachers. You may be wondering why Black teachers are leaving in droves. Dory Larsuel, a Black kindergarten teacher from California, spoke candidly about why she believes Black teachers are experiencing burnout. She taught in several public school systems for thirty-eight years, and she had a lot to say about why Black teachers are leaving education in droves.

“Black teachers have left the profession because they feel undervalued and disrespected in the workplace. There’s a sense of isolation in the workplace when you’re the only person in your school. The emotional burden of dealing with microaggressions is another reason why Black teachers are leaving the profession,” Larsuel told me.

She said low pay discourages young blacks from becoming teachers. “Young black students don’t consider becoming teachers because of the cost of college and the low salaries of teachers across the United States. I think if their educational experience was negative on any level, they don’t consider teaching,” she said.

Black teachers encourage self-confidence

Last year, the National Center for Education Statistics released a report that found that only 6 percent of U.S. public school teachers are Black. Stevona Elm-Rogers, head of community programs and partnerships at Black Education New Orleans (Be NOLA), said the need for Black teachers isn’t just about representation. It’s also about instilling confidence in Black youth. As a Black student, she said, “you really need people who can teach you how to continue to hold your head up high in a system that doesn’t see you as fully human.”

In addition to her work with the educational nonprofit, Elm-Rogers is a public speaker and writer, and she published an essay about her love of New Orleans in a recent issue of The New Orleans magazine. Being. Know that New Orleans and black teachers have a complicated relationship. As someone who currently lives in New Orleans, Elm-Rogers made sure to tell me that New Orleans saw mass layoffs of black teachers, mostly black female teachers, after Hurricane Katrina. But the low rate of black teachers in the United States is not primarily due to mass layoffs—it is due to black teachers not feeling supported, seen, and heard.

Black teachers provide a safe space

It’s crucial for young black students to have black teachers to confide in, lean on, and learn from. When a black student has a black teacher, their comfort level and confidence can increase. Elm-Rogers said black teachers can make school a safer place for black students. “Black teachers provide a level of confidence, a level of empathy, an unspoken brilliance that’s not always recognized. Black teachers take their kids beyond just representation. You have teachers who are fully capable of understanding the conditions in this country. You have someone who understands that. They give you the strength to be able to get through it,” she said.

The Alabama native believes black children need to be instilled with the confidence to stand up for themselves. “Our kids need to know how to stand up for themselves. That’s something that you’ve really had to do in our country, when it comes to race, only if you’ve shared our skin and shared our life experiences. Black teachers are incredibly important.” While black educators have been incredibly helpful to black students, many feel ignored.

“When you talk to introverted black teachers, they feel incredibly unseen in their schools. They feel unsupported by their administration, even though in many cases they are the ones who are holding up their schools. These are the teachers whose principals, you know, are giving kids who are more challenged. These are the teachers who are coming up with innovative programs around wellness in their schools. They are the heart of the school,” she told me.