White teachers in poor areas is lower by percentage than in rich areas: report

Adams IV, James Monroe (Freelance, NYDN)/Freelance, NYDN A new report by the Independent Budget Office found that the percentage of white teachers working in poor areas is strikingly lower than in more affluent neighborhoods.

The racial divide in city schools isn’t limited to the students. A new report by the Independent Budget Office found that the percentage of white teachers working in poor areas is strikingly lower than in more affluent neighborhoods.

Demographic data from 2000 to 2012 revealed that 72.5% of teachers are white in low-poverty areas. Only 44.2% of teachers are white in high-poverty neighborhoods.

Black and Hispanic teachers make up more than half the teaching force in the poorest neighborhoods, though the two groups represent only a third of all teachers citywide, the report found.

“It’s a real issue,” said Mona Davids, president of the New York City Parents Union. “We live in a global economy, and students should be comfortable with people of all races. One of the first places they learn to do this is in school.”

Andrew Savulich/New York Daily News Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers said that faculty members, whatever their race, were dedicated to helping all kids succeed.

Overall, the number of white and black teachers decreased over the 12-year period, while the number of Asian and Hispanic educators went up.

“Our schoolteachers reflect the incredible diversity represented across the city,” said Education Department spokeswoman Devora Kaye, noting that the number of minority teachers grew overall.

Research has found that students respond to teachers who match their race or ethnicity.

Fuse/Getty Images/Fuse After their first five years on the job, 47% of teachers in high-poverty schools quit altogether, as opposed to 34% in low-poverty schools.

But daunting challenges remain.

Regardless of race, teachers tend to have less experience in poor neighborhoods. The study found that high school teachers in high-poverty areas have worked for 8.4 years compared with 10.7 years for teachers in affluent areas.

The turnover rate also illustrated the challenges of teaching impoverished students.

Andrew Savulich/New York Daily News “It’s a real issue,” said Mona Davids, president of the New York City Parents Union. “We live in a global economy, and students should be comfortable with people of all races. One of the first places they learn to do this is in school.”

After their first five years on the job, 47% of teachers in high-poverty schools quit altogether, as opposed to 34% in low-poverty schools.

The total number of public school teachers — excluding charter schools — fell over the 12-year period, from 77,088 to 73,373.

The drop in staff was offset somewhat by 5,400 special-education teachers who joined the workforce over the same period, bringing the total number of special-ed instructors to 18,595.

BananaStock/Getty Images/BananaStock RF Overall, the number of white and black teachers decreased over the 12-year period, while the number of Asian and Hispanic educators went up.

In March, a different report found that New York State suffers from the worst racial segregation of any U.S. state, with city schools earning particularly dismal marks for diversity.

“While the UFT doesn’t decide teacher assignments, I can tell you as someone who spent a dozen years in a high-poverty school in Brooklyn that my fellow faculty members — whatever their race — were dedicated to helping all our kids succeed,” said Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers.

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