Black male teachers are a rarity in preschools. This pioneering program wants to change that

A fellowship program is training young Black men to become literacy aides in preschool classrooms across the country. It aims to tackle several problems at once: a shortage of early educators, a dearth of Black male teachers and the acute challenges Black boys face in schools because of their race and gender. Researchers have shown Black male students face discrimination before they even set foot in a kindergarten classroom. But there’s a growing body of evidence that Black teachers can make a difference for Black students. Less than 1% of elementary and early education public school teachers are Black men, according to federal data.