Black Males Represent Just 2 Percent of Teachers. That's Bad for Students and Black Men.

On average, black students in public schools receive fewer resources giving them a late start. A mostly black university in New Orleans has increased overall achievement by developing students’ shared responsibility for one another’s success.

Medical schools and public health programs have shifted some of their practices in an effort to attract more Black students, such as by removing GRE requirements and recruiting more Black faculty, and these schools have seen an influx of applications during the pandemic. One example is Brown University's Health Equity Scholars program, which offers tuition support, a paid research assistantship, and formalized mentorship to a diverse cohort each year.

For a decade, only a little more than half of the students from Washoe Country District graduated. So, school leaders launched a Social Emotional Learning program. That’s because research shows that kids that don’t form emotional connections at school are at a higher risk of dropping out. The “district’s three signature SEL classroom practices [include]: welcome rituals and routines, more engaging or interactive teaching methods, and end-of-class reflections.” In the five years since implementing the program, graduation rates increased by 18 percent.

Restorative justice programs essentially focus on rehabilitation instead of punishment. Schools that use the model try to understand and address the deficits that provoke students to misbehave, and teach students how to reconcile the consequences of their actions with all those affected by them.

Across the country enrollment in online charter schools is disproportionately white, except in one state- Colorado. In Oregon, the opposite is true. This article compares what factors differentiate the state of Colorado versus the state of Oregon in terms of enrollment in charter schools along racial lines. Some differences include a larger diverse population in the state of Colorado, alternative schools that target at-risk students, and a larger team devoted to overseeing charter schools.

In 2019, close to half, or 45 percent of white students scored proficient or above in reading comprehension, compared to 18 percent of Black fourth graders, and 23 percent of Latinx fourth graders. However, research shows that exposing students of color to books that reflect their culture increases reading comprehension and motivation. In the wake of those disparities, American teachers are beginning to reckon with the lack of diverse authors they teach. Some teachers are launching social justice classes, requiring more diverse books, and challenging norms.

A teacher in San Diego took matters into her own hands when she couldn't find a social justice curriculum tailored to students with disabilities. That’s partly why she created what she calls the “Social Justice League,” a group of students at her school who meet weekly by Zoom and discuss a variety of issues, such as Native American land, gender privilege, the representation of disabilities in the media and systemic racism.

U-46, Chicago's second-largest school district faced a legal suit in 2005 for discrimination of Hispanic students in its gifted programs and is now setting an example for how programs can be upended for good. By 2018 U-46's gifted program consisted of 48% Hispanic students, a better representation of a 57% Hispanic district. The changes implemented by the district included addressing systemic issues by not relying on teacher recommendations and instead testing all third and sixth graders, expanding the number of seats for gifted students. The district also has teachers undergo antiracism training and more.

The Cherry Creek School district is using apprenticeships to create a more racially diverse pipeline of K-12 educators in Colorado. High school juniors and seniors are paid to participate in the apprenticeship, and are able to earn college credit as well. This is one of the ways the district is working on having its workforce reflect its student bodies more accurately. Currently 85% of teachers are white, and half of its student body is kids of color. Now in its second year, the program has grown from an initial cohort of 12 youth apprentices to 26,

Across the U.S. many colleges and universities adapted their courses and curriculum to meet Covid safety guidelines, but many are seeing the pandemic as a catalyst for the necessary innovation, acceleration, and changes. Unity College in Maine is shifting the traditional semester system into eight, five-week terms both online and in-person, at a much lower price for students. Over in Colorado, Metropolitan State University pivoted its approach by creating a free program to retrain people who lost jobs due to the pandemic.