“A low-income black student’s probability of dropping out of school is reduced by 29 percent if he or she has one black teacher in 3rd, 4th, or 5th grades. That student is also 18 percent more likely to express interest in college after graduating. There was an even stronger effect for black boys from persistently low-income homes: Their probability of dropping out of school is reduced by 39 percent if they have one black teacher, and they are 29 percent more likely to consider college.”

I struggle with the idea that we’re reaching many of our students too late to affect their success, and this article from Education Week Teacher supports that concept. The original Johns Hopkins study can be found here.