Teaching Lab Reviews

The executive team has poor leadership skills and they refuse to communicate clearly with the staff. They value revenue over people, although they are a non-profit, and they underappreciate and overwork anyone that they can. Their claims of being an antiracist organization are completely false and I would not recommend any person of color join this organization. They refuse to take feedback from their employees and the CEO, COO, and CPO are consistently disrespectful and unclear. They do not provide their people managers with the resources to succeed. They administer a staff culture survey every year and the results have gotten progressively worse, particularly for their staff of color. Leadership refuses to acknowledge the results of these surveys, let alone do anything to improve the employee experience at Teaching Lab. Teaching Lab has less than 50 employees and in the last year, seven black employees resigned. Every single black employee who resigned was at the director level or higher. They have since filled almost every one of those positions with white people. They have shown that they are not dedicated to retaining or hiring a diverse leadership team although they claim to be antiracist.

I am deeply concerned about the practices at Teaching Lab, particularly regarding its commitment to racial equity and justice. Despite the organization’s public-facing mission, there are alarming indications that Teaching Lab does not genuinely embrace antiracist principles and may, in fact, perpetuate harmful dynamics that protect white supremacy. The recent layoffs, in which 9 out of 13 employees dismissed without notice were people of color, and 7 of those were women of color, are particularly disturbing. This statistic is not just a number—it represents the lives and livelihoods of women who already face systemic barriers in the workplace. Many of these women are also mothers, adding another layer of vulnerability to their unjust treatment. The fact that these layoffs targeted women of color, particularly mothers, raises serious concerns about the organization's internal culture and its commitment to creating a truly inclusive environment. Adding to these concerns is the leadership of Teaching Lab. Sarah Johnson, HaMy Vu, Jessica Azani, and Andrea McDade are all key figures who must be held accountable for the organization’s direction. There are significant questions regarding their integrity and whether they truly champion the antiracist values that Teaching Lab claims to uphold. These leadership issues, coupled with financial mismanagement at the highest levels, suggest that the organization is more focused on maintaining power structures than fostering genuine equity and inclusion. The decision to offer only a four-week severance package, combined with an NDA clause, further indicates a lack of transparency and respect for the affected individuals. This approach appears to be more about protecting the organization’s image than addressing the needs of those who were let go, many of whom were already marginalized within the workplace. Funders should be particularly cautious before offering support to Teaching Lab. The discrepancies between the organization’s stated mission and its internal practices are too significant to ignore. It is crucial that those considering financial backing demand full accountability and transparency to ensure that their contributions do not support an organization that fails to prioritize racial justice in meaningful ways. In conclusion, Teaching Lab seems to fall woefully short of its professed commitments to equity and antiracism. The troubling treatment of women of color within the organization, combined with serious concerns about the leadership of Sarah Johnson, HaMy Vu, Jessica Azani, and Andrea McDade, as well as lack of financial integrity, should give serious pause to anyone considering involvement with or support for this organization.