Inside California classrooms: Black teachers speak out on bias, extra work, lack of respect

California school districts have been trying to recruit and retain Black teachers for years, but the numbers don’t seem to be increasing. The cost of teacher preparation and unpaid student teaching make it difficult for Black teacher candidates to complete the work to earn a credential. Once in the classroom, a lack of support and respect sometimes makes it difficult for them to remain.

In the 2020-21 school year, the most recent year data is available, 3.8 percent of all teachers in California were Black, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Black students made up 5.2 percent of the state’s student population that year.