In Philadelphia, A Call For More Black Male Educators

Just 2 percent of the 3 million teachers in the U.S. are black males. In Philadelphia, educator Sharif El-Mekki is leading an effort to encourage more black men to pursue careers in education.

While acknowledging it is not the only solution, he says seeing more black men in teaching roles could help close the achievement gap for black boys, who on average struggle more in school, with far lower graduation rates than white boys or girls.

Here & Now‘s Robin Young speaks with El-Mekki (@selmekki), principal at Mastery Charter School – Shoemaker in West Philadelphia and a member of The Fellowship: Black Male Educators for Social Justice.

• El-Mekki: Teachers Are Heroes And We Need More Black Ones

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