Study finds that LAUSD needs to do more to recruit and retain Black teachers

A study by the Los Angeles Unified School District found that it needs to do more when it comes to recruiting and retaining Black teachers, who are vital to young Black students.

"It's been dwindling," said Jordan High School teacher Vander Meyers," And now today, we don't see as many African American educators, particularly men — African American men." 

According to a report by LAUSD, the district has been losing 100 Black educators every year since 2016. Researchers said that when Black children have access to Black educators at a young age there can be a positive long-term effect.

"What the study says to me is that a lot of young Black students aren't getting educated by Black teachers," said teacher Scott Whitney.

The study also found that the share of Black teachers, about 9%, was proportional to the 8% of overall Black students in the district, however, the study found that Black administrators made up only 18%. 

"To sustain those levels of Black administrators, the district needs to focus on recruiting more Black teachers to keep that talent pool," said Megan Besecker, who is part of the LAUSD independent analysis unit, the team that conducted the study. 

Last fall, LAUSD implemented and funded the Black Student Achievement Plan to address the long-standing disparities between Black students and their non-Black peers. One example being implemented was to have students clean up graffiti rather than harsher punishments.

BSAP coordinator Derek Benton said that it teaches students to foster an appreciation for their school and deters them from doing it again.

According to the study, while 93% of Black students at schools across the district, there are 183 of those schools that have no Black educators on staff. 

The study also found that LAUSD has a higher percentage of Black educators than L.A. County and the state.

Additionally, the study said that there is a higher rate of white teachers leaving. Conversely, there are more teachers of Latin descent coming into the district. For AAPI teachers, the rate has stayed the same.  

Researchers said that it is possible for retirement and changing demographics in California to be influencing these numbers.