“I find myself not being scared to do much anymore,” Macias said. “And I think that’s because of her.”

tudies find that having a same-race teacher makes black and Hispanic students more likely to graduate from high school and enroll in college and can even affect a choice of major

“If you’re first generation [in college], there’s a lot of pressure to be successful,”

She said she is looking for teachers through wider advertising, attending more job fairs, making sure all their materials are in Spanish as well as English, even staffing a booth at a summer farmers market in town. She applied for a grant to recruit teachers from Mexico and Spain.

“I remember thinking I should go sit with other [teachers], but that was my comfort zone,” he said.

He said it was different with the one Latino teacher he had. Tomas Salinas talked about his own home growing up, the aroma of food wafting from the kitchen where his mom was cooking. “My house, it’s the same way,”

It is home to rugged California coastline, stunning vistas and some 425 wineries — but also poverty.

Teachers of color also have higher expectations for students of color, which may fuel the other gains.

Education requirements, low pay, unhappy workplaces and lack of respect all can contribute.

ut that doesn’t explain the gap between black students and teachers, and it doesn’t fully explain the Latino gap either.

In 1988, 87 percent of public school teachers were white. By 2016, 80 percent were, according to federal data.

It’s only marginally better for black students: 7 percent were enrolled in a district where the share of black teachers matches or exceeds that for students. Among Asian students, it was 4.5 percent.

, just two of 56 teachers are — 3.5 percent.

hoping that small treat will dissuade students from skipping class.

She was the first person who saw something good in me.”

icardo was 13 then, living in poverty