Fleeing from Diversity

Townhall.com ^ | September 20, 2015 | Paul Jacob

[Kaslin]

The Washington Post headline, “Black teachers flee schools, leading to concerns about diversity,” left me less concerned about “diversity” and more with why teachers — black or otherwise — would “flee.”

A study by an institute funded by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) looked at nine large cities — Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. — and found that the number of black teachers in each city’s public schools dropped between 2002 and 2012. The story’s lead then informed readers that this was “raising questions about whether those school systems are doing enough to maintain a diverse teaching corps.”

I think it raises big questions about “fleeing”: What on earth are these teachers escaping from?

Could these public school systems be . . . terrifying?

The Post article, written by Lyndsey Layton, notes that the decade for which data was examined “was a period of rapid expansion of public charter schools and closures of traditional district schools.” And there were other “policy changes, such as the use of teacher evaluation systems.”

However, the study shows no link between charters or school closings and the sometimes very significant reduction in the percentage of teachers who are black. Likewise, lots of folks dislike being evaluated, especially by a huge bureaucracy, but that doesn’t seem a likely driver of massive black flight, does it?

Still, before Hurricane Katrina hit, 74 percent of the teachers in the New Orleans public schools were black. By 2012, blacks made up only 51 percent of the teachers. In the same decade, whites went from 25 to 43 percent of the teacher workforce.

The nation’s capital saw the biggest change between 2003 and 2011, with the percentage of white teachers rising from only 16 percent to 39 percent, while the percentage of black teachers fell (or fled) from 77 to 49 percent.

“The whole effort of the last two decades has been toward minority-teacher recruitment, and it’s been an unheralded victory, really,” claims the University of Pennsylvania’s Richard Ingersoll. “The problem is with retention. Minority teachers have significantly higher quit rates than non-minority teachers. And that’s a huge problem.”

These higher quit rates appear to stem from poor working conditions, such as a “lack of autonomy” and little “input into school decisions.” In other words, the suffocating system created by teachers’ unions and politicians and bureaucrats and ivory tower educational theorists isn’t much fun to teach within.

Of course, nothing fully explains why these various issues would impact black teachers more severely than others. But the people-and-bean counters tell us they do.

Why does it matter?

First, there is a need for role models. (Note to self: parents make the best role models.) Statistically, minority students (even when they are in the majority) are more likely to come from single-parent households. So, it may be especially helpful for these students to see successful teachers of their own race.

But black teachers continue to comprise a large enough part of these school districts to allow black students to see plenty of them — and fully witness and freely emulate their success.

Second . . . well, hold on to your hat. The other reason cited? “[R]esearch has suggested,” writes reporter Layton, “that students who are racially paired with teachers — black teachers working with black students and Hispanic teachers working with Hispanic students — do better academically.”

So, we need a diverse teaching staff . . . but not because diversity is good.

Rather, with a racially diverse student body attending schools, a racially diverse teacher corps becomes the only way to successfully avoid diversity and, instead, to keep the connection between students and teachers as much as possible within their own race.

“Diversity is a key component to equality and opportunity,” says AFT’s President Randi Weingarten. She’s asking President Obama to hold a summit at the White House on teacher diversity.

[kearnyirish2]

Here in NJ you make a lot more money teaching on a welfare reservation. You don’t have to actually teach anything; they just can’t find enough people (of any color) willing to be anywhere near young blacks.

Last year one of our urban districts in NJ (Paterson) had 19 college-ready graduates - about 3% of their graduating seniors. Our schools are just wealth transfer mechanisms by which taxpayer dollars are funneled through the teachers’ unions to the Democratic Party.

[Pontiac]

Well the inner city I was referring to was Cleveland of course.

But I certainly agree with you that the school administration is the main problem with public schools. And of course the administration’s rules are top down political correctness dictated by Washington D. C. (District of Corruption or District of Communism as you prefer).

But what it comes down to is that all authority for discipline has been stripped from the teacher and the kids know it and consequently most have no respect for the teacher in the class room.

Most of the inner city kids are taught no respect at home for anyone that can’t kick their a$$ and so the teacher is deemed an equal or subordinate person.

Without respect how can the teacher function in their job?

Answer they can’t. So worst case if the teacher is deemed weak; their very life is in danger.

[generally]

>> “[R]esearch has suggested,” writes reporter Layton, “that students who are racially paired with teachers — black teachers working with black students and Hispanic teachers working with Hispanic students — do better academically.”

This is the exact OPPOSITE of diversity. (And note that it doesn’t mention white students with white teachers. Presumably that would be the best for white students, but no one looks out for their interests.)

I have no issue with the race of any teacher. I’m just pointing out the hypocrisy of the libs who want to foist diversity on us at all costs. They clamor for minority teachers to teach minority students, but what’s sauce for the goose is apparently not sauce for the white gander.

[Pontiac]

I guess diversity is just seeing a mixture of races in the hallway.

You do better if you see other races everyday but don’t interact with them in any meaningful way.

That apparently is the Liberal way. They want immigration but not integration.

That is what Obama is telling Muslim “refugees” after all that they do not have to feel it necessary to integrate when they come here.

[Vigilanteman]

Or maybe they just understand better than their white counterparts why teaching is nearly hopeless in an environment where discipline is not allowed.