Increasing Teacher Diversity: Strategies to Improve the Teacher Workforce (original) (raw)
Related papers
2017
We analyzed the most recent nationally representative datasets from the U.S. Department of Education Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) 2011-12 and the SASS Teacher Follow-up Survey 2013-14 to understand the current state of teachers of color in the United States. Teachers of color comprise an increasing share of the U.S. teacher workforce, but that share (18 percent in 2011-12) is disproportionately low compared to the proportion of students of color in public schools (49 percent) and people of color in the nation (37 percent). It is also too low to meet the demand from school districts and families (Goldring, Taie, & Riddles 2014; Ingersoll & May, 2011). The gap between the percentage of Latina/o teachers and students is larger than for any other racial or ethnic group. More than 21 percent of students are Latina/o, while Latina/o teachers represent fewer than 8 percent of teachers. This, despite the fact that the percentages of Latina/o teachers and students are growing faster than those of any other racial or ethnic group. And while the population of teachers of color is growing overall, Black and Native American teachers are a declining share of the teaching force. Furthermore, the pool of potential Black and Latina/o teaching candidates dwindles as individuals move along the teacher pipeline, from high school graduation to college enrollment, teacher preparation, and employment in the teacher workforce (see Exhibit 1). By examining national data for a similar group over time, from the kindergarten-12 years to entry into teaching, we find that the percentage of Black and Latina/o teachers is disproportionately low. In 2007, Black and Latina/o students made up over 38 percent of k-12 students, less than 28 percent of high school graduates, and about 24 percent of high school graduates who went on to enroll in a two or four-year college the next fall. Black and Latina/o candidates made up just 19 percent of teacher preparation candidates, including baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate candidates, in the fall of 2008. Four years later, in 2012, Black and Latina/o candidates comprised about 20 percent of bachelor's degree-earners in 2012, but only 14 percent of education bachelor's degrees. Pg. 03 Current State of Teachers of Color in the United States Why Increase Teacher Diversity? The Positive Impacts on Students While all teachers require more intentional, culturally-based preparation to reach a growing diverse student population (Higgins, Shaffer, & Schlanger, 2017), increasing diversity in the teaching profession also can have positive impacts on student educational experiences and outcomes. This is especially true for students of colorwho demonstrate greater academic achievement and social-emotional development in classes with teachers of colorbut having teachers of color benefits White students as well. Many teachers of color report feeling called to teach in low-income communities of color, positions that are often difficult to fill (Villegas & Irvine, 2010). Thus, three in four teachers of color work in the quarter of schools serving the most students of color nationally, so their retention decisions have significant impacts on students of color (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2017).
We all want more teachers of color, right?: Concerns about the emergent consensus
NEPC, 2020
There is a need to examine the implications of the apparent unanimity by researchers and practitioners about recruiting and retaining teachers of color. In particular, the push for diversifying the teaching force must be scrutinized within the context of larger patterns and structures of racial injustice and should be pursued as part of broader efforts toward equity-oriented school reform. How might we acknowledge and work toward the important task of diversifying the educator workforce and still maintain healthy skepticism about the confluence of actors with differing motivations who are promoting educational reform, including actors who effectively devalue and dehumanize communities of color? We propose two principles when considering the diversification of the educator workforce: (1) specifying the need for and possibilities of strategic essentialism, and (2) keeping the focus on transforming schools. Flowing from the two principles, we offer a set of questions that educational stakeholders concerned with the diversification of the teaching force should consider. These questions should be employed when stakeholders consider or implement efforts to diversify a school’s educational workforce.
Keeping Teachers of Color: Recruitment is Not the Problem
2019
This article reviews some of the recent literature on teacher recruitment and retention published in the United States. It describes the merits of having a diverse teaching force, and explains that the issue of a lack of representation of teachers of color in American schools is not a result of recruitment; rather, it is the retention of these teachers that is the problem at hand. The article uncovers the reasons teachers of color leave the profession, and makes suggestions about changes that would make it possible for these teachers to stay. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, children of color make up the majority of the population, while their teachers remain mostly white. In other words, American public school students are looking less and less like their teachers (Digest of Education Statistics, 2017). Every state in the USA has a higher percentage of students of color than teachers of color, according to a “Teacher Diversity Index” included in a 2014 Cen...
1993
This collection is based on two studies of approaches to increasing the supply of minority teachers. The first was a documentation study of programs supported by the Ford Foundation Minority Education Demonstration Project designed to attract minority candidates, prepare them well, and present model programs. The second study described a range of innovative programs to recruit or prepare large numbers of minority teachers. The following papers are recruiting students from local community colleges into teacher education programs recruiting and training teacher assistants from local school districts recruiting students with baccalaureate degrees into fifth-year or post-baccalaureate teacher education programs deve7 .)ing an innovative curriculum to prepare students to teach in culturally diverse classrooms. Data collection by the ETS researchers, including site visits to the programs, occurred in 1991-1992. The results of the studies were presented in a symposium at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association in April 1993 and were augmented by the comments and critique of Jacqueline Jordan Irvine, of Emory University, whose remarks on the research complete this report. The Policy Information Perspective series provides an opportunity for research scientists to present the results of their studies, and also to relate the implications of their findings to policy and practice. As such, the recommendations are the professional judgments of the individual researchers, informed by the research they have undertaken. Paul E. Barton Director The researchers also thank the representatives of the lead and convener institutions and the program directors for coordinating the site visits and meetings and providing program documentation. Gratitude is also due to all of the staff, the student participants, and others who were interviewed for the study. The following individuals served as consultants to the project, visited sites and projects, collected data, and wrote case studies:
Retaining Teachers of Color to Improve Student Outcomes
2019
Author(s): Hinkley, Sara; McCorkell, Lisa | Abstract: Low pay for teachers has received significant national attention, but having a diverse teaching workforce is also critical for improving student outcomes. A large but often ignored problem in America’s education system is the lack of diverse representation among teachers. There are very few male teachers of color in the classroom, and the turnover rate for ones that exist is disproportionately high. Retaining such teachers is a critical element in efforts to narrow the achievement gap and improve student outcomes.
Sustaining Our Diminishing Teachers of Color in Urban and Suburban Schools
Advances in Religious and Cultural Studies, 2019
This chapter emphasizes the importance of implementing culturally competent recruitment and retention practices, which suburban schools and systems can use to ensure that all students have a well-trained and high-quality teacher of color. Changes in teachers' expectations for student success and strategies in managing administrative and behavioral tasks are all required of all novice teachers. Methods of recruitment, strategies of organization management, and student demographics should be factors in supporting the approaches to implement culturally competent policy change, impacting the outcomes for teachers of color and the student's they serve. A positive organizational culture to include culturally responsive instructional leadership, adequate teacher salary, and critical professional development are determinants for sustaining high-quality teachers of color not only for students of color but for all learners. An emphasis on valuing the cultural identity of teachers of color in suburban schools will be emphasized as a preventative measure for the othering of teachers of color.
Multicultural Education, 2012
the teaching force is European-American (White), while students of color constitute about 46% of the K-12 student population. It is projected that by 2050, students of color will comprise the majority of the student population (NCES, 2012). About 40% of U.S. public schools have no teachers of color and in urban schools, where teachers of color are primarily employed, European-American teachers (White) still dominate (Center for American Progress, 2011; National Collaborative on Diversity in the Teaching Force, 2004). Data show that almost every state reflects this large diversity gap between students and teachers (Boser, 2011). Multicultural scholars contend that this demographic gap creates a teaching-learning disconnect that contributes to the too often dismal academic performance, high dropout rates, and low graduation rates of diverse urban students (Gay, 2010; Irvine, 2003; Ladson-Billings, 2009). It is also argued that the lack of diversity in the teaching force is a contributing factor to the over-representation of students of color and those from low-income backgrounds in special education programs (Haycock, 2001; Sleeter & Thao, 2007). Although some argue that race does not determine teacher quality, and that teachers of color also struggle in teaching students of color (Sleeter & Thao, 2007, p. 4), many agree that there are significant benefits to diversifying the teaching force. Among these are: 1. It facilitates productive student-teacher relationships. (Gay, 2010; Ladson-Billings, 2009; Irvine 2003) 2. Diverse teachers bring diverse life experiences and perspectives that benefit all students, including dominant culture students, and thus improves the quality of education for all. (Gay, 2010; Nieto, 2000) 3. It provides students of color role models.