Secretary Duncan and John Legend Call for More Black Teachers in the Classroom
By Tiphanie L. Certain
WASHINGTON (TEWire) - U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and
Grammy Award-winning artist and education activist John Legend have
appealed to U. S. college students to invest in the future
by teaching.
The secretary and music artist joined a TEACH Town hall meeting at
Howard University early this month, making their appeal as record drop
out, crime, drugs and low test scores still ravage school systems across
the nation.
Their appeal, all about the importance of great teachers – and
specifically the need for more Black teachers - pre-empted a panel and
audience discussion session about education in America. The TEACH
campaign is an initiative of the United States Department of Education
designed to raise awareness of the teaching profession and get a new
generation of teachers to join others already making a difference in the
classroom.
“I know what a good education can do for you, I’ve seen first-hand how teachers can change your life,” Legend told the audience.
In addition to students, the Nov. 10 conference also included10 HBCU School/College of Education deans.
Duncan indicated there are just not enough African-American teachers.
“I’m actually working very hard traveling throughout the country to
make sure our teacher workforce reflects the diversity of our students,”
Duncan said. “There’s a growing imbalance in terms of what our teachers
and principals look like in relation to our students.”
The TEACH campaign encourages more minorities, especially males, to
pursue careers in the classroom. Nationwide, more than 35 percent of
public school students are African-American or Hispanic. But less than 6
to 9 percent of teachers are African-American or Hispanic—and 50
percent of low-income African-American students drop out of High school.
Ninety-one percent of teachers in urban neighborhoods are White and
less than 2 percent of America’s teachers are African-American males,
according to Secretary Duncan. HBCUs produce 50 percent of the nation’s
Black teachers.
Legend is known for his social justice stances as much as his
award-winning music. He has long campaigned for better U. S. classrooms.
He said, “I’m doing everything I can to end education inequality in our
Country.”