In our persistent quest to cover the inequality that permeates education, The Hechinger Report has spent years exploring the lack of diversity in our public school teaching force. This week, Proof Points columnist Jill Barshay dissects why, reporting on a study showing that many Black students are not completing their teacher training, at a time when the number of Black K-12 students is growing.    

Barriers for Black teachers are also a topic of huge concern to Sharif El-Mekki, chief executive officer for the Center for Black Educator Development, who worries that “schools will lose these amazing teachers to other professions, and students will lose out on the chance to learn from them and expand their worldviews.” 

We’d love to hear your thoughts and potential solutions, so please tell us what you think. We’re also interested in hearing ideas about the persistent student mental health crisis that colleges are coping with: The president of Hollins University in Virginia tells us how personal attention, bedtime stories and ice-cream sundaes (and time with horses) is helping her students.  

Finally, in these fraught political times, we bring you the latest from this month’s Moms for Liberty summit, as the group pushes to make culture wars part of the upcoming presidential campaign. Please remind others to sign up for our newsletters and become a member for much more. 

Liz Willen, Editor

PROOF POINTS: Plenty of Black college students want to be teachers, but something keeps derailing them 

Study inside Michigan’s teacher preparation programs sheds light on some of the reasons for the scarcity of Black teachers in America 

Moms For Liberty flexes its muscles — and faces pushback 

The right-wing group, which has helped make schools a culture war focus, drew would-be presidents to its national summit as well as many protestors 

OPINION: We must remove barriers that keep teachers away from our profession and encourage a diverse workforce 

Keeping teachers of color in classrooms requires a hard look at the state and district policies that work against them 

OPINION: Lonely, left out and isolated post-pandemic, our college students need personal attention 

One college president uses board games, bedtime stories, horses and ice-cream sundaes to help students cope 

OPINION: A New York model helps community college students reach their goals 

Education leaders around the country should follow CUNY’s example