Keeping Teachers

There may be nothing more important in the educational life of a child than having effective teachers, but U.S. schools are struggling to attract and keep them. The problem is most acute in rural areas, where kids may learn math from a social studies teacher. In urban schools, the teachers most likely to leave are black men, who make up just 2 percent of teachers. This APM Reports documentary tells two separate but connected stories about the teachers these schools desperately need, but can’t hold on to: black men and those willing to work in rural areas. There are surprising similarities in why schools struggle to attract and keep these teachers that are particularly relevant now, when the divides between urban and rural — and white and black — are getting so much attention.Producer: Emily Hanford, 2017 AERA Award Winner for Excellence in Media Reporting on Education ResearchAiring on Saturday, September 2, 2017 at noon on WSQX Radio.