Rebuilding the Black Teacher Pipeline: Cultivating Culturally Responsive Educators 

Our mission at the UCR School of Education is to advance equitable educational systems and practices which are driven by core values of equity, evidence, excellence, community, critical thinking, and compassion. The Teacher Education Program prepares aspiring teachers to serve schools through social justice oriented, community engaged frameworks. Thus, we are committed to raising awareness and creating educational environments and programs that honor the legacy of Black teachers and the affirming spaces they built - not only for Black students, but for all students. These legacies offer important lessons for all educators, reminding us to value and sustain the types of learning environments that have been disrupted by both historical and ongoing breaks in the Black Teacher Pipeline. This work is essential to benefit all the children in the Southern California region. All School of Education students are welcome to apply.

The loss of Black teachers after desegregation wasn't just a professional crisis – it was a cultural and communal wound. Only 7% of current teachers are Black, according to the U.S. Department of Education. This erasure has had lasting consequences on student belonging, curriculum relevance, and school climate.

We aim to recruit Teacher Candidates that show capacity and potential for valuing and upholding the disrupted Black teacher legacy of culturally responsive teaching principles, and support them as they move through our program to ensure that they become the teachers our children need. 

The Black Teacher Pipeline is open to all students committed to educational justice and culturally affirming teaching. If you are interested, please connect with us today by contacting Yvette Hayes at yvette.hayes@ucr.edu