Photo: Joshua J. Cotten | Memphis
Over the last four years, Black girls have graduated from high school at a high rate in Tennessee's Memphis-Shelby County Schools. In 2021, 83% of Black girls graduated from high school on time - higher than the graduation rate for every other demographic group separated by race and gender. Supportive classrooms and attentive teachers of color who can relate to their students are part of the reason but graduates agree that behind the trend is a personal determination to excel in spite of racism and sexism. And that may come from how parents socialize Black girls, encouraging them to do well and excel in school, researchers say. Having Black women teachers who “mirror” Black girls and show them what’s possible also may move the academic needle for Black girls. In Memphis-Shelby County Schools, 80% of teachers are women and over half are Black.
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