The New York City Teaching Fellows program was specifically tailored towards folks who wanted to work in urban, underserved schools. At the time of my acceptance into the program, I had never even been to New York before. To say I felt unprepared to handle the social inequalities and systematic racism facing my Crown Heights, Brooklyn, students is an understatement. I was not confident that I could do the job. Gang violence, a lack of resources, and high teacher turnover plagued our school.
In fact, schools that are in the top quartile of serving students of color see a 90% higher turnover rate among math and science teachers than the quartile of schools serving the most white students. At Title I schools, turnover rates for math and science teachers are nearly 70% higher than at non-Title I schools. So why aren’t there more qualified teachers in these schools? It’s complicated, but broadly speaking, teaching these subjects in these schools can be really tough.