Education
CPS Has a Small Proportion of Black Male Teachers. Educators Say the Representation Is Important
by Margaret Gonzalez, Mackenzie Kirkwood, Chelsea Robinson and Abigail Rosas
Across Illinois, the teacher workforce remains predominantly White and female. Chicago Public Schools reflects that same trend despite most of its students being people of color.
Black male teachers are especially underrepresented. According to CPS’ most recent figures from 2022, Black men make up just 3.6% of the district’s teachers. CPS in a statement said its total percentage of Black teachers increased from 14% in 2019 to 20% this school year, though the district did not provide data breaking down those numbers by gender for this school year.
For longtime South Shore educator Wayne Issa, the impact of that gap shows up in the classroom every day. Issa, who has spent 26 years in education, said students respond differently when they see themselves reflected in their teachers.
“The more children can see folks that look like them, that talk like them, that understand the cultural nuances they have, the easier it becomes to teach them, the easier it becomes to reach them,” Issa said. “I still love seeing the light bulb go off. I love seeing them get it.”
Researchers say the shortage isn’t just a hiring problem. It begins with the experiences many Black boys have in school long before they consider becoming teachers.
David Stovall, a professor at the University of Illinois Chicago who studies race and education, said the same inequities that shape Black students’ school experiences can carry into adulthood.
“If I am thought of as inherently deviant, what does the school space look like for me?” Stovall said. “The same regulatory things that have happened to Black youth in school are the exact same things that happen when that same group of folks tries to enter the teaching force.”
Teachers like Joshua Smith, a fifth-year educator currently at Disney II Magnet High School’s Lawndale campus, said those increases have yet to reach his halls.
“I think at Disney there are a decent amount of male educators in general,” Smith said. “It’s just that I’m the only Black male educator at the school.”
CPS data reports one Black educator for every 21 Black students, compared to one White educator for every three White students, meaning Smith’s presence at the school matters in ways that go beyond teaching.
“I have students who I don’t even teach that will see me in the building,” Smith said. “They will come up and say ‘hi’ to me, or give me dap, or come get some snacks from my room. … Even though they are being taught by great teachers, just being in the presence of a loving, caring Black male teacher, means so much.”
The Trump administration has threatened to withhold funding from CPS over its Black Student Success Plan, arguing the program violates the Civil Rights Act. The plan purports to close opportunity gaps.
Despite that scrutiny, other programs aimed at increasing the number of Black male educators are having an impact. At Chicago State University, program director Jermaine Morales leads Call Me MISTER, which recruits and supports Black men pursuing teaching degrees and provides four years of tuition assistance.
“With the Call Me MISTER program, we try to prepare our misters to walk into any classroom environment and deal with any type of situation,” Morales said. “Our overall goal is to make sure they leave this institution as productive citizens, prepared to teach in any situation, in any school district.”
For Issa, representation is only part of the work. His day-to-day approach is rooted in caring for his students.
“I teach kids math, where some people teach math to kids,” Issa said. “The kids come first. Their growth academically, cognitively, socially and emotionally as human beings. Once they see that you care about them on all those levels, then they open up to learn the math.”
