NJ Needs More Teachers Of Color. This Newark Group Wants To Help

NEWARK, NJ — In New Jersey, youth of color make up 56 percent of the student population. But educators of color – including men – make up just 16 percent of the state’s entire teacher workforce. It’s a statistic that speaks for itself, advocates say.

And it’s time to start turning that number around, according to Mark Comesañas.

Comesañas, the executive director of My Brother’s Keeper Newark (MBKN), is part of a growing movement to get more men of color into the teaching pipeline.

According to Comesañas and MBKN, reports continue to show that educators of color can have a big impact in the classroom, including boosting students’ academic performance, improving reading and math test scores, improving graduation rates and increasing students’ desires to attend college.

But despite these benefits, men of color are consistently underrepresented in districts across the country. In New Jersey, the percentage of Black teachers stands at 6.4 percent, Latino teachers at 7.2 percent, and Asian teachers at 2 percent. Teacher turnover is especially high with male educators, due to a variety of factors that include dissatisfaction with administrators, lack of mentoring or support and “racial isolation.”

“These men often feel isolated from larger networks of like-minded brothers who share their same experiences,” Comesañas said.

Recently, in an effort to help these educators connect, MBKN – an initiative of the Newark Opportunity Youth Network – hosted a “Male Educators of Color Happy Hour” at Launch Pad in downtown Newark (see photo gallery above).

Educators, administrators and advocates gathered together, representing public, private and charter schools from across the state.

Robert Clark, CEO of the Newark Opportunity Youth Network, said that having a teacher of color at the head of the classroom can have a world of benefits for students, including fewer unexcused absences, curbed chronic absenteeism and less suspensions.

“Despite this fact, teachers of color, particularly male teachers of color, continue to be underrepresented in the classroom,” Clark said. “Events like this will encourage more Black and Brown men to enter and persist in the work of education … and ultimately help prevent future youth disconnection.”

Events like last month’s Happy Hour can be a big help in making headway towards that goal, Comesañas said.

“For MBK Newark, this Happy Hour event is just one tree in a larger forest of opportunities designed to recruit, train, and sustain more male educators of color,” Comesañas said. “By gathering these men together to build a network of support, we hope to amplify men of color and their impact on all young people.”

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, he added. According to Comesañas:

“In 2022, My Brother's Keeper Newark plans to launch the Male Educators for Newark (MEN) Initiative, which aims to recruit, train and retain more male educators of color in the education ecosystem. The multi-pronged strategy includes a high school curriculum designed to peak young people's interest in pursuing a career in education. It also includes a college course, taught almost-exclusively by opportunity youth, with hopes to retain teachers who leave the profession due to feeling ill-prepared to meet the needs of young people. Additionally, the MEN's Initiative will regularly convene male educators of color, in partnership with other community-based organizations, to collaborate and build our collective capacity to meet the needs of young people across the city and beyond. This and much more is on the horizon for 2022.”

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