U.S. Education Struggles With Increase in Retirement of Black, Latino Teachers

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a mass retirement of Black and Latino teachers, another challenge facing U.S. education.

According to The San Diego Union-Tribune, the California State Teachers' Retirement System reported a 26 percent increase in teacher retirements in the second half of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.

More than half of those surveyed said their primary reason for resigning was the challenges of teaching during the pandemic.

According to a national survey released on February 1 by the National Education Association, 55 percent of teachers planned to retire earlier than planned, up from 37% in August 2021.

The numbers were highest among Black and Latino teachers, with 62 percent and 59 percent, respectively.

Teacher Retirements Became Evident Since January 2021

According to Kaiser Health News (KHN), the problem became apparent in January 2021, when face-to-face classes resumed in Southern California.

During the first week, more than a quarter of students in some large districts were absent. Some students returned to class without their teachers, who under-qualified substitutes had replaced.

Furthermore, like in all industries, the educators most affected by the pandemic have been teachers of color, who were forced into early retirement due to lack of support and poor working conditions.

Although students of color are predicted to make up 56 percent of the student population by 2024, the primary and secondary educator workforce remains largely white, the U.S. Department of Education reported.

To make matters worse, retention of teachers of color is also affected by the fact that they tend to work in under-resourced urban schools with higher teacher turnover rates because of retirement or leaving the profession.

Teacher Shortage Severely Affects Low-Income Families, Students Of Color

According to a 2019 study by the Learning Policy Institute, a Palo Alto-based nonprofit research organization, the shortfall affects 80 percent of California school districts, with low-income families and students of color being hit the hardest, LA Times reported.

More than 1,100 families in the Los Angeles Unified School District whose children attend historically low-income public schools were surveyed by the University of Southern California and Partnership for Los Angeles Schools in July 2020.

It found that about 1 in 6 had no internet access, and about 1 in 12 only had internet on their cell phones. Meanwhile, 1 in 7 said they never had a space free of noise or distractions.

Since a single positive test in the classroom can disrupt all teaching plans in a second, Katie Caster of Latinos for Education in Boston told KHN that teaching in person with the threat of COVID is "living in a constant state of anxiety."

"I call it the brown tax," said Caster. "They (people of color) have to go above and beyond all the time, whether it's the cultural connection, the language, being asked to translate, or connecting families to resources."

According to Caster, the COVID-19 pandemic has made the situation worse.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: This School Is So Understaffed, The Principal Drives the Bus - From VICE News