Book Chapter

Why Black Women Teachers Leave and What Can Be Done About It

Teacher and students working on a science experiment.
Desiree Carver-Thomas and Linda Darling-Hammond
August 2017 | Emerald Publishing Limited
Teacher and students working on a science experiment.

In this chapter from the book Black Female Teachers: Diversifying the United States’ Teacher Workforce, the authors examine Black teacher attrition, reporting that Black teacher turnover rates are significantly higher than those of teachers from other racial groups. The authors found that, compared with their peers who are not Black, Black women teachers reported several substantive differences in their preparation, school characteristics, and reasons for leaving. The chapter also describes policy interventions that target attrition-related conditions, such as teacher residencies, loan forgiveness, mentoring and induction, and principal training programs.