Declaring May 9, 2024 as "Black Teacher Appreciation Day" in the City of Philadelphia.

Declaring May 9, 2024 as “Black Teacher Appreciation Day” in the City of Philadelphia. WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia’s Black Teachers are the very core of its education system. Black teachers are the unsung heroes of the community and positively impact the lives of students and families far beyond the classroom. They are experts in understanding the needs of students and going the extra mile to provide the support necessary for students to achieve and truly thrive; and WHEREAS, Black students who have just one Black teacher between kindergarten and third grade are thirteen percent more likely to graduate from high school and nineteen percent more likely to go to college. Additional exposure to Black teachers also increases the likelihood of Black students attending college, jumping over thirty percent if they have experience with two Black teachers. For Black students, the exposure to a larger proportion of Black teachers decreases the likelihood of receiving exclusionary discipline and low-income Black boys who had a Black teacher for at least one elementary school year were forty percent less likely to drop out of high school. Exposure to a larger number of same-race teachers significantly reduces the number of reported incidents for Black students, particularly for the types of offenses that that require subjective evaluation, which suggests that teacher discretion may play a role in more favorable outcomes and a better educational experience for Black students; and WH…