According to a new study by Johns Hopkins University, black students are more likely to go to college if they have a Black teacher. And, they are even more likely to attend if they have two!

A Black student is 13 percent more likely to enroll in college if they’ve had a black teacher by third grade, the study also reveals. That number rises to 32 percent if the student has had two black teachers during their elementary years.

Nationwide, we know that there’s a significant gap between the number of minority elementary and secondary students and teachers. According to a recent Pew Research study, 51% of all public elementary and secondary school students in the U.S. were minorities in 2015-2016, while only 20% of their teachers could be classified that way.

Charter public schools are making progress when it comes to teacher diversity. According to the study, minority teachers accounted for 29 percent of total charter public school teachers compared to just 19 percent at traditional public schools.

But there’s still plenty of work to be done if we want more black students to have teachers that look like them.

We at the California Charter Schools Association are doing our part through the Diversity in Leadership program, designed to eliminate the diversity gap between students and school leaders in California by increasing the talent pipeline of African American and Latino leaders in charter schools, and creating avenues for leadership development, school growth, funding, and advocacy. 

For more information on how you can join the Diversity in Leadership program, visit: