Brown v. Board’s unintended impact on black teachers

By Diana D’Amico Pawlewicz, University of North Dakota; Andrea Guiden Pittman, American University; Andrene J. Castro, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Marvin G. Powell, George Mason University Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court decision that desegregated public schools, stands in the collective national memory as a turning point in America’s fight for racial justice. But as the U.S. observes its 70th anniversary, Brown also represents something more somber: It ultimately led to thousands of Black teachers losing their jobs. Before Brown, Black teachers constituted 35% to 50% of the teacher workforce in segregated states. Today, Black people account for just 6.7% of America’s public K-12 teachers, even as Black children make up more than 15% of public school students. As researchers focused on education policy, teacher diversity, critical research methods and teacher quality, we believe this is an important piece of unfinished business for a country still reckoning with systemic racism. In our view, the best way to fulfill Brown’s promise and confront the national teacher shortage is to hire more teachers of color. How Black teachers’ ranks rose and fell Before Brown, Black children often were excluded from public schools or forced into underfunded and unsafe schools. Rather...