Recruitment Minority Teacher Supply in South Carolina South Carolina is experiencing a steady decline in the number of minority teachers employed by the state's school districts. Put another way, South Carolina has lost about almost half of its black teachers since 1975.
Several factors account for the trend.
The average age of black teachers in the workforce is higher than the average age of white teachers. As black teachers retire, they are not being replaced at the same rate because few young black college students are choosing teaching. Competition for black college graduates is fierce among the professions. Many people attribute the problem to teacher pay, which is certainly a factor. Research also shows that many black parents advise their children against teaching and are a significant factor in the decline of the black teaching population.