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A new report has found one in three LAUSD Black and Latino teachers are considering leaving their jobs — and the district must do a better job retaining these educators. 

A study by GPSN found 71% of the Black and Latino Generation Z teachers intend to leave the classroom in the next one to two years.   

In a district where a majority of students are Latino,  with a smaller percentage Black, , retaining educators who look like those they teach is crucial, according to studies on the relationship of teacher diversity to students’ performance.

“When (students) have access to teachers of color, they have better academic and behavioral outcomes,” said Dr. Laura McGowan Robinson, CEO of the Diversity and Leadership Institute. “The  presence and the representation of educators who are reflective of the student population that they’re serving does play a role in students’ success.”

About 45% of teachers in LAUSD identify as Latino, in a district that is three-quarters Latino. The share of Black teachers mirrors the percentage of Black students in LAUSD at approximately 9%. The district has also lost nearly 100 Black teachers a year since 2016. 

The GPSN study — conducted with the Diversity in Leadership Institute and released last month — evaluated Gen Z Black and Latino educators in LAUSD with the goal of advocating “for a racially diverse educator workforce at LAUSD to help close academic and opportunity gaps impacting students of color and those living in poverty,” the report stated. 

Identifying Gen Z as anyone 30 years old or younger, the study surveyed 200 Gen Z Black and Latino educators and 200 general LAUSD educators. 

Here are the four key takeaways from the report:

1. One in three Gen Z Black and Latino LAUSD educators anticipate leaving the profession, with 71% of those expecting to leave within one to two years.

Due to a variety of post-pandemic trends, teacher retention rates have continuously decreased because of low morale and low pay.  

Compared to their peers, the GPSN study showed these educators were less satisfied with their jobs, potentially leading to “retention issues below the surface” even with support they are getting. 

“While they have this level of support, there’s still something that’s missing that is causing them to think about leaving in pretty large numbers in the next one to two years,” said Dr. Robinson.

2. Better work-life balance and compensation packages are identified as the most important factors for retaining these educators.

Of the 200 Black and Latino educators surveyed in the study, over 50% cited greater work-life balance and better pay as the primary reasons for not remaining in their jobs. 

“Gen Z educators are looking for something that is sustainable,” said Dr. Robinson. “They are challenging us to rethink ways that we have worked before. They’re pushing us to think in different ways about how we create a more sustainable working environment.”

3. Gen Z Black and Latino educators are passionate about making a difference in students’ lives, yet they report lower career satisfaction compared to other LAUSD educators.

“There is a sense of passion, of desire; there’s a mission driven approach to how Gen Z, Black and Latino educators approach their work,” Dr. Robinson said. “They feel a sense of purpose around their work and want to be there.”

But despite their sense of mission, LAUSD’s Black and Latino teachers are less satisfied with their jobs, compared to the district’s teaching population as a whole 

“I feel like LAUSD does a good job checking boxes,” said Melissa Mack, 35, Black LAUSD educator.  “They promise a lot, but then there’s a lot of red tape regarding the resources they give to underrepresented schools.”

Mack, who is trying to bolster her skills by taking graduate-level teaching courses in the evenings, said of working in LAUSD, “It’s something that I love…it’s just a hard climb.”

LAUSD continues to try and fill their classrooms with Black and Latino teachers, officials said. 

“In the 2022-23 school year, we visited eight historically Black colleges and universities for recruitment; last year we visited 32,” said Jacob Guthrie, Director of Recruitment and Retention for the Black Student Achievement Plan. “We are unapologetically advocating on behalf of black students and hope they can see themselves in our classroom.”

4. Nearly all teachers agree the district’s strategic plan benefits students, but Gen Z Black and Latino teachers are more likely to believe the plan benefits them and their fellow teachers.

According to the study, almost all of the 200 Black and Latino Gen Z educators in the study are at least somewhat aware of the district’s strategic plan, more so than their general educator counterparts. 

“We recognize that diversity is our strength, both in terms of our student and family composition, and our workforce,” said Guthrie. “We are one of the only districts that offers a tuition waiver program that allows (teachers)  to get the certificate of eligibility and, if they get a job, they then are able to get their preliminary administrative services credential.”

This article is part of a collaboration between The 74 and the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.