Experts attribute the lack of Black K-12 teachers in California to a number of barriers, including underrepresentation in teacher credentialing programs, as well as workplace discrimination that prompts some to leave the profession.
As America attempts to reckon with racial injustice, some California school districts are adopting teacher pipeline programs specifically targeting potential Black teachers while also making efforts to retain teachers and listen to what might turn them away.
"The amount of money I was making wasn't what was giving me happiness," Obah said. "I would read the news and see minorities struggling, people who look like me not being able to get jobs, homes, and going through a lot of struggle to be able to achieve in school." UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education associate professor Travis Bristol, who chairs the state Department of Education's Educator Diversity Advisory Group, said the cost of teacher preparation programs is one of the major barriers impeding the pipeline of Black teachers.
The district also provides support for teachers going through alternative licensing routes, Glasband said, and offers debt relief, license test preparation and payment of tuition. He was the only person of color out of about 40 students in his teacher credential program for science at Cal State East Bay. "My co-students were very inclusive, but there is always something in the background when you look around and you're the only person of color," he said.
"I know for sure he bypassed other teachers and didn't break down, but with me, he was vulnerable," Obah said. "He talked to me, and I talked to him and was able to transfer him to a school psychologist who could help. For me, that was a powerful moment, a connection because he was a Black student, and I am a Black teacher." The toll on Black teachers
Adam Clark, superintendent of Mt. Diablo Unified School District -- which encompasses College Park High -- said via email that he and the district's governing board are "committed to ensuring that all students, families and staff members feel safe and welcomed." Clark would not comment on Harris's situation.
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