MENSAH M. DEAN, Philadelphia Daily News
- As the school year begins, Philadelphia School District officials face a seldom-discussed dilemma: The percentage of African-American teachers is declining, and now stands at its lowest point in decades.
And students are suffering as a result, a growing body of research shows. One national organization found that increasing the percentage of black teachers is directly related to closing the so-called achievement gap – students of color lagging behind white peers.
African-American students at George Washington Carver High School for Engineering and Science are witnesses to this erosion at their predominantly black North Philadelphia school of 650 students.
