unique Impact
unique Burdens
Insights into the Black Male Educator Experience
In the largest ever survey centering male teachers of color, thousands of teachers who use DonorsChoose shared their experiences in the classroom. Black male educators’ responses stood out, pointing to the impact they have in their school communities, the unique responsibilities they’re expected to shoulder, and how we can better recruit and retain these powerful educators.
Why this matters
When students feel seen and understood by their educators, their engagement and learning can thrive.
In one study, the graduation rate among Black students increased by 33% if they had at least one Black teacher between third and fifth grade.
Black educators are vastly underrepresented.
Especially Black men, who make up just 2% of public school educators. This dearth of Black male educators means that Black boys are likely to go through their entire public school education without ever having a teacher who looks like them.
Black male educators report spending more time outside of class with students
Black male teachers spend more time mentoring and counseling students than teachers of any other demographic
The same trend emerged regarding tutoring students outside of class.
Black male teachers have more students socializing in their classrooms.
These teachers report an average of 10 students spending time in the classroom outside class every week.
Black male graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) spend the most time with students (an average of 11 hours per week) and have even more students spending time in their room (an average of 18 students).
Whether because students gravitate to teachers in whom they can see themselves, or because of a special commitment to supporting the whole student, or another reason entirely, Black male teachers demonstrate the highest levels of engagement with their students — and thankfully, this higher level of engagement does not correlate with burnout, and does not appear to drive it.
