Education

We need a teaching corps that reflects the diversity of our students. Philadelphia is a diverse city, and that diversity is reflected in its schoolchildren: 49 percent of whom identify as Black, while 22 percent identify as Latino, 14.6 percent as White, and 9.6 percent as Asian. Research shows that all students benefit from a diverse teaching corps, but low-income  Black boys who have a Black male teacher in the primary grades are more likely to graduate and pursue higher education. The absence of black male educators in our schools is a huge problem. Nationally, only 2 percent of K-12 teachers are Black men, and Philadelphia has been losing Black teachers over the last 20 years. Bringing more Black male teachers into our schools would be a game-changer for our city.