November 25, 2020
In 2019, Dr. Curtis Jones (Socially Responsible Evaluation in Education [SREed]) conducted a study on race, relational trust, and teacher retention in Wisconsin schools. He found that African American teachers are much less likely to stay in their school as educators, with only 58% remaining after just 2 years compared to 77% of White teachers. He also found that African American teachers feel lower levels of trust with other teachers than White or Latinx teachers, which likely factors into their greater risk of leaving.
This Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Midwest video explores why Black teachers leave the teaching profession and the best practices for retaining them. Viewers will hear from Dr. Tammie Causey-Konaté (REL Midwest), Dr. Curtis Jones (SREed), and Etai Mizrav (REL Midwest) on research-based practices for retaining Black teachers and why the work is important everywhere. The video also shares the perspectives of educators and district leaders from Evanston Township High School in Evanston, Illinois, on best practices for creating and sustaining inclusive work environments for Black teachers.
REL Midwest also produced a viewing guide [281 KB
] that is available for download. The guide prompts viewers as they consider what they have learned in the video that can inform their own work. The viewing guide can be used by school and district leaders along with teachers as they consider how they can develop more inclusive work environments for Black teachers.
Watch part 2 of this video series, Creating inclusive workplaces for Black teachers: Recommendations for states and districts, to learn about strategies to implement at the state and district levels to improve Black teacher experience. To learn more about our work in this area, visit the Midwest Achievement Gap Research Alliance webpage.