By Taylor Johnson | OBSERVER Staff Writer
When Arianne McCullough was in high school in Sacramento City Unified, she had many Black role models in her life – her mom, coaches and counselors. Although they played a pivotal role for her, she can recall only one Black teacher she had as a student – her seventh-grade art teacher at Albiani Middle School.
Although they weren’t close, she says having her as her teacher made a substantial impact on her as she taught her to draw.
She recalls one lesson where they were learning how to create self-portraits. During the lesson, the teacher initially taught them to draw lips that didn’t match her own features.
“I asked her for help, and she ended up teaching me a whole new way to draw lips – and other features – so they looked a little more like mine,” she says. “It was heartwarming to be taught by a Black woman who was so clearly passionate about what she did.”
McCullough’s seventh-grade art teacher is one of the very few Black teachers who work in local Sacramento school districts.
In 2024, Sac Unified held the highest percentage of Black teachers with 7.3%, with about 12.7% of students identifying as Black. At Natomas Unified, about 6.8% of teachers and 17.8% of students identified as Black.
Twin Rivers had 6.2% of teachers and 8.7% of students identified as Black. San Juan had 5% of teachers and 6.8% of students identified as Black. Finally, Elk Grove had 5% of teachers and 10% of students identify as Black.
San Juan Unified had the closest racial parity when it came to the percentage of their Black student and teacher population. Natomas held the biggest discrepancy.
Mimi McKee, the managing director of external affairs at the Center for Black Educator Development, says it’s important for school districts to recruit and maintain Black teachers for the betterment of education.
“Studies show that Black teachers benefit students – all students, but specifically Black students, because it’s helpful for those students to have educators in the classroom who reflect their racial identity, their experiences, their worldwide views, and ultimately, help their students see a future full of possibilities,” she says. “Those students end up performing better in school.”
According to an article by the College Board in 2024, studies show Black students with one Black teacher in K–3 are 13% more likely to graduate from high school and 19% more likely to go to college.
In addition, Black boys from low-income households who have two Black teachers in grades 3–5 are nearly 40% more likely to graduate from high school and 30% more likely to attend college.
The National Council of Teacher Quality also found in a 2023 report that students assigned to a Black teacher increased students’ math and reading test scores and decreased chronic absenteeism by roughly 60% for both Black and non-Black students.
McKee says the reason for the lack of Black teachers can be traced back to the Brown v. Board of Education decision of 1954. She believes the Trump administration’s targeting of diversity, equity and inclusion in schools will also affect the hiring and retention of teachers of color.
“There continues to be a systemic disinvestment as it pertains to Black teachers, and schools within predominantly Black communities,” she says. “So with these policies that are currently being enacted, we’ll continue to see significant disinvestment from, like teacher prep programs. So there are not going to be as many Black students enrolling. That’s already the case, but we’re going to continue to see that number dwindle.”
McKee continues, saying the attacks on DEI can also further the underresourcing of schools and that Black teachers may continue to face hostile or unsafe school environments.
McKee says the Center for Black Educator Development studies the “invisible tax” placed on Black educators. This refers to unrealistic expectations put on them compared to their white peers when they’re expected to do their job, but serve additional roles in schools – a mentor, disciplinarian, therapist, counselor, anything – that contributes to burnout and Black teachers leaving.
The Black Educator Advocate Networks 2023 survey for Black educators found that about 68% reported that their school did not provide groups, spaces, or resources specifically for Black educators to feel heard and seen.
The report also found that respondents shared that they faced challenges surrounding their cultural identity, ranging from discomfort with colleagues’ comments to a lack of support in addressing racism within their schools.
“So think about partnering with school leaders and district leaders to improve working conditions for teachers, which includes safer school environments, culturally responsive leadership, professional development that actually affirms their experiences and also centers their identities,” McKee says.
In addition, some mentioned feeling isolated or encountering resistance when discussing anti-Blackness or organizing cultural events. She says many relationships between Black students and teachers are burned, leaving them not wanting to become educators due to isolation and a lack of support.
McKee believes a couple of keys to solving the recruitment and retention of Black teachers are by appealing to Black K-12 students and creating relationships with HBCUs and community leaders to create a better pipeline program.
“So it’s not enough to just think about, prep programs and then matriculating into the classroom after that,” she says. “We have to think about before students come into ed prep programs and after we’ve recruited them into the classroom. We need to see what those different entry points look like at every step of the pipeline.”
As McCullough moved away from Sacramento for college and entered a small college in Oregon, she often finds herself as the only Black student in many of her classes, especially in her political science and economics classes.
McCullough says what has helped her push through is reminding herself of her goals and aspirations and remembering every space she enters is one she has to make her own.
“It’s an interesting experience because sometimes you just wish you could disappear, blend into the background like a fly on the wall instead of standing out like a sore thumb,” she says. “The stares, the whispers, the visible discomfort on people’s faces when I walk into a room – that never feels good.”
She knows the value in having a Black teacher and hopes more students will get to have more.
“Having Black educators is essential for everyone,” she says. “There’s something powerful about seeing someone who looks like me in a role of authority and knowledge, especially in education. But beyond representation, Black teachers bring so much more to the table. As Black people in America, we live such a unique experience, and in my opinion, that deeply shapes how we see and process the world.”
Support for this Sacramento OBSERVER article was provided to Word In Black (WIB) by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. WIB is a collaborative of 10 Black-owned media that includes print and digital partners.