The struggle to retain faculty of color

Faculty of color reflect on obstacles in independent schools

The teaching profession has never claimed to be glamorous. Those who teach describe it as fulfilling work, but also grueling.

According to a report from Think Impact, the number of teachers quitting or retiring has risen by 55% in the last 30 years, and new teachers are leaving their jobs within five years of teaching in percentages as high as 30%. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) also found data for elementary and secondary public school teachers in the U.S. are “considerably less racially and ethnically diverse as a group than their students – and while the share of Black, Hispanic and Asian American teachers has increased in recent decades, it has not kept pace with the rapid growth in the racial and ethnic diversity of their students.”

Teachers at private schools are not immune to the trends found in public schools. The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) published an article titled “Retaining Teachers of Color at Predominantly White Schools” that shared two of the main reasons for higher turnover in teachers of color: experiencing additional barriers to belonging and receiving more judgment and pressure.

“The win is not simply greater numbers,” said Savannah Strong, Nueva’s current Director of Social Justice and Equity. “The win is when [faculty] feel happy and healthy in the community.”

Strong, who joined Nueva at the beginning of this school year, will be leaving at the end of the year to take on a role at Head-Royce School in Oakland.

For teachers like Danielle McReynolds-Dell, who left Nueva in 2022 after six years as a math teacher, the happiness she found within a community is rooted in the students.

“I went to go teach because I wanted to provide a physical presence to let students of color who were in a really tough situation know that they could get out of it,” said McReynoldsDell, who identifies as an AfricanAmerican woman. “I also wanted to be someone [students of color] could talk to about how to navigate through [a predominantly white school] because that was really hard for me.”

Davion Fleming, who identifies as a Black man and was the former 9th grade dean and the Associate Director of Admissions, echoed this sentiment.

“A diverse set of non-parenting adults in a student’s life is paramount in their learning about themselves, others, and their community,” said Fleming, who left Nueva in 2021 after five years to work as the Director of Admissions at LickWilmdering.

And while there are many reasons and contributing factors for why teachers leave, there is more of a stress on teachers of color in independent schools because of the social and historical barriers. Private schools across the country are struggling to build institutional equity and diversity in systems that were historically and predominantly white.

“Generally, teachers want to see themselves reflected in the student body, just as students want to see themselves reflected in the teaching body. So it’s a chicken and egg situation,” said Fleming, referencing why increasing diversity can be a slower process.

These moments are especially impactful as role models change and leave.

“We’re not retaining these wonderful educators—people of color, women— who I think are important for the substantive and general representation of the school and mirroring it to students,” said Matthew Oakland, a Coordinator of Social Justice and Equity who is also leaving at the end of this school year

“It’s going to be a time where Charlie is growing in different areas, and I am, too,” she said.

Louisa and Tom echo Maar’s sentiment and look forward to exploring their interests and spending time together.

“The whole idea is it’s our next era, and so we get to go and do the things that we want anytime,” Louisa said.

The transition will be difficult for these parents, whose lives have revolved around raising children for at least the past 18 years.

“There’s going to be a void that we will figure out how to fill,” Maar said.

However, while these parents’ houses may be less lively, but they don’t feel entirely empty like the title “empty nesters” suggests.

“Empty is kind of a negative word—it generally means [that you’re] missing something,” Tom said. “You can feel some sadness as your kids leave the nest, and there’ll be a hole in your life, but the whole job of it is to fill that hole and to continue to grow, change, and build your life anew.”

Zoi offers an alternative title for these parents’ new roles: free birds.

“Free bird is really positive, and it’s emphasizing the positive part, which is [that] you have more freedom,” she said.

Another silver lining is the pride and joy in accomplishing the greatest feat of parenting: preparing one’s children to no longer need them.

“Yes, the nest is empty,” Louisa said. “But at some level, we have to take that success. They’ve learned how to fly and they’re off starting their own journey.” after three years at Nueva. Oakland said he deeply values the connections he has made at Nueva and expects to maintain them.

Similarly, during her time, Dell saw many people come and go. Ultimately, she left Nueva because she wanted to see what other opportunities for growth existed elsewhere.

“I hit my threshold on advancement; there was no place for me to grow,” she said. “Learning keeps me in school. So if I can't learn something new or build a new skill, I look for other places to go to do that.”

In the past two years, there have been increased efforts at actively building belonging: this year, the school hosted a series of affinity group dinners on both campuses, providing the community with opportunities to connect through shared cultural experiences. Strong also helped co-lead the People of Color Leadership Institute, a professional development opportunity available to all faculty and staff of color.

“This is challenging and complex work and I don’t think there are very many schools anywhere that are doing a phenomenal job,” Fleming said. “Nueva does a pretty good job, in my estimation, despite the circumstances.”

Oh the places we’ll go...

Class of 2023 by the numbers, matriculation, and advice

1,352 total applications sent in by students with an average of 12.7 applications per student

Class Of 2023 Matriculation List

Stanford University (8)

Northeastern University (6)

Cornell University (5)

University of Chicago (4)

Yale University (4)

University of California Berkeley (4)

Cal Tech (3)

Carnegie Mellon University (3)

Harvard University (3)

Princeton University (3)

Wellesley College (3)

Amherst College (2)

Brandeis University (2)

Brown University (2)

California Polytechnic San Luis Obispo (2)

Carleton College (2)

Claremont McKenna College (2)

Columbia University (2)

Northwestern University (2)

Pomona College (2)

Reed College (2)

Tufts University (2)

University of California Irvine (2)

University of California Los Angeles (2)

University of Illinois (2)

Vanderbilt University (2)

Barnard College (1)

California Institute of the Arts (1)

California State Long Beach (1)

Case Western Reserve University (1)

College of William and Mary (1)

Colorado College (1)

Connecticut College (1)

Duke University (1)

Georgetown University (1)

Harvey Mudd College (1)

John Hopkins University (1)

Lehigh University (1)

Macalester College (1)

New York University (1)

PacNW College of Art - Willamette (1)

Rice University (1)

Santa Clara University (1)

Sarah Lawrence College (1)

Swarthmore College (1)

United States Naval Academy (1)

University of California Davis (1)

University of Pennsylvania (1)

University of Rochester (1)

University of Southern California (1)

University of Texas (1)

University of Utah (1)

University of Vermont (1)

University of Miami (1)

University of Wisconsin (1)

Vassar College (1)

Villanova University (1)

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (1)

Washington University in St. Louis (1)

Whitman College (1)

Gap Year (3)

34 percent of the class has decided to stay on the West Coast with 28 percent staying in California

"My key takeaway was how to pace myself. My philosophy was letting go of my to-dos where I deliberatedly rested or recharged with friends."

13 new colleges are being attended by seniors

'23 including Lehigh, Cal Arts, Santa Clara, UC Davis, Connecticut College, Sarah Lawrence, William and Mary, Villanova, Vermont, Texas, Naval Academy, Miami, Vrije University Amsterdam

"It's important to work hard, but make sure you're enjoying high school while it lasts. Make time for yourself so you don't lose passion for the things you love."

ANOUSHKA K. '23 different states (+the Netherlands)

Rethinking Affinity Spaces

Fun cultural outings are crucial to promoting a sense of community.

EDITORIAL TEAM

Serena S. ’23, Emma Z. ’23

Editor-in-Chief

Grace F. ’23

Managing Editor

Isabelle S. ’23

News Editor

Aaron H. ’24

Opinion Editor

Ellie K. ’24

Features Editor

Isabella X. ’24

Culture Editor

Natalie L. ’25

Entertainment Editor

LiAnn Yim

Faculty Advisor

STAFF

Gabe A. ’24

Samara B. ’24

Josie B. ’25

Gabriel H. ’24

Sami K. ’23

Kayla L. ’26

Char P. ’23

Anuj T. ’23

Alice T. ’24

Alvin Y. ’26

Owen Y-L. ’24

THE NUEVA CURRENT strives to provide informative and impactful articles for our community. Our issues cover stories related to our school, the Bay Area, California, and other relevant spheres. We are dedicated to helping readers understand the ways in which we can all make a difference in the world around us.

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Graduating Editors-in-Chief

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