LOS ANGELES — Between 2020 and 2022, studies show the teaching profession lost nearly 600,000 workers across the United States in what is now considered the great resignation.

Now, a new local initiative called The Teacher Village aims to remove the barriers between Black men who are interested in becoming educators. 

The program is part of the Watts of Power Foundation. It’s free, provides housing to the fellows at a reduced rate and connects them to shadow a teacher in LAUSD or California State Dominguez after they receive their necessary training.

“If a student in grades 3 through 5 has one Black male teacher in front of them, their dropout rate decreases by 39% and their college entrance increases by 29%,” said CEO and co-founder Peter Watts.

It is why he said they’re creating a movement to multiply the mere 2% of Black men who are teachers across the country.