Black men now represent only about 2% of teachers nationwide — a noticeable drop from 6.5% in the 2017-2018 school year. The declining presence of Black male teachers in classrooms tells us in no uncertain terms: the nation struggles to recruit and keep male teachers of color.
Dr. Jacob Easley II
Studies confirm that educators of color serve as cultural connectors and can positively impact Black students’ academic success, aspirations, and the school environment. Black students who encounter at least one Black teacher during elementary school are statistically more likely to finish high school and attend college. In essence, teachers of color matter.
However, increasing diversity among teachers is more complicated than is often portrayed.
According to the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), education majors are the least diverse among other fields. White students make up 68% of undergraduate education majors, compared to 57% in other majors; at the master’s level, the numbers are 70% versus 63%. Similarly, 74% of full-time faculty are White — mirroring the nearly 80% White teaching workforce.
Teachers of color, throughout their journey from training to career, often find themselves navigating environments quite different from their home communities. If education truly prepares citizens for democracy — as is inscribed across many state constitutions — then recruiting and retaining Black male teachers must become a national priority. Otherwise, we risk undermining the promise of an inclusive democracy, relegating diverse talents to the margins of America’s educational narrative.
In response, a growing number of grassroots and national organizations are building innovative, culturally responsive models to address this gap. This essay draws on interviews from the EDUP Xcelerated Excellence podcast with leaders of five such organizations—The Center for Black Educator Development, Real Men Teach, Profound Gentlemen, The Black Teacher Project, and Call Me Mister — to identify effective strategies for recruiting, developing, and retaining teachers of color, especially Black male educators. Their insights point to three foundational principles: belonging, mattering, and thriving. These concepts inform the creation of culturally affirming recruitment efforts, robust mentorship and career development programming, and equitable ecosystems.
Culturally affirming recruitment
