The culture wars are pushing some teachers to leave the classroom

In the spring of 2020, James Whitfield had just become the first African American to be named principal at Colleyville Heritage High School, located in a predominantly white Dallas-Fort Worth suburb.

Whitfield, who holds a doctorate in education, was anticipating big challenges when students returned in the fall. COVID-19 had already shut down in-person learning, and the pandemic was about to make a chronic teacher shortage even worse.

Then came the death of George Floyd, the unarmed Black man killed by a Minneapolis police officer during an arrest outside a convenience...