Diversifying the teacher workforce--that is, increasing the share of teachers who have the same racial/ethnic and linguistic backgrounds as the students they teach--is a topic of growing interest to many states and school districts nationwide. Interest in this topic is motivated by evidence that students of color experience better academic and behavioral outcomes when they are taught by teachers of color. Education leaders could benefit from specific ideas on how to implement strategies for diversifying their teacher workforce.
To address this need, representatives from all 10 Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs) joined forces to create an infographic with research-based ideas on ways to implement promising strategies to enhance teacher diversity. This resource reflects the work of multiple RELs and federally funded Comprehensive Centers. It covers strategies aligned with the stages of the teacher pipeline--recruiting teachers into preparation programs, preparing and certifying teacher candidates, hiring them into districts and schools, and supporting them on the job.
A few of these strategies, and what their implementation could look like in practice, include:
Recruitment: Actively recruit from diverse populations--including people who live in the same communities as the schools that seek teachers--to enter teacher preparation programs.
- Identify venues, such as luncheons for high school students or presentations for college Black Studies courses, to recruit students of color or bilingual students.
- Identify paraprofessionals of color or bilingual staff already employed by districts who could enter teaching, perhaps by leveraging districts' personnel systems.
Preparation: Provide substantial academic, social, and skill development supports.
- Provide supports that can help candidates balance demands of work, academics, and family, such as mentors and peer networks.
- Provide opportunities for candidates to work extensively with mentors to develop teaching skills before leading their own classrooms, such as teacher residencies.
Hiring: Implement inclusive hiring practices that prioritize attracting and selecting a diverse applicant pool for teaching vacancies.
- Avoid bias in selecting applicants by training staff involved in hiring on how to recognize and address implicit bias.
- Avoid relying exclusively on traditional selection criteria that may disadvantage candidates of color and include additional criteria such as performance tasks during the interview process.
Supporting teachers on the job: Provide high-quality induction and mentoring.
- Offer a comprehensive system of supports for new teachers, such as orientation and supportive communication from school leaders, mentoring, opportunities to learn in cohorts, and common planning time..
Interested in learning more? Take a look at the infographic and check out the references for additional implementation ideas that education leaders and researchers are actively exploring to diversify the teacher workforce.
References
Caven, M., Durodoye Jr, R., Zhang, X., & Bock, G. (2021). Variation in mentoring practices and retention across new teacher demographic characteristics under a large urban district's new teacher mentoring program. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast & Islands.
https://eric.ed.gov/?q=raifu+durodoye&id=ED614819
Gnedko-Berry, N. (2018). Exploring the potential of teacher residencies. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, Regional Educational Laboratory Midwest. Retrieved May 22, 2023, from
https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/Products/Region/midwest/Blog/10115
Leong, M., Greenberg, J., & Yoon, S. Y. (2018). Common practices for recruiting, training, and retaining bilingual and diverse teachers. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, Regional Educational Laboratory Northwest.
https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/regions/northwest/pdf/common-bractices-bilingual.pdf
Motamedi, J., Leong, M., & Yoon, S. Y. (2018). Strategies for designing, implementing, and evaluating grow-your-own teacher programs for educators. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, Regional Educational Laboratory Northwest.
https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/regions/northwest/pdf/strategies-for-secondary-students.pdf
Motamedi, J. G., Petrokubi, J., Yoon, S. Y., & Leong, M. (2022). Strategies for designing, implementing, and evaluating grow-your-own teacher programs for secondary students. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, Regional Educational Laboratory Northwest.
https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/Products/Region/ northwest/Resource/100767
Motamedi, J.G., & Stevens, D. (2018). Human resources practices for recruiting, selecting, and retaining teachers of color. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, Regional Educational Laboratory Northwest.
https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/regions/northwest/pdf/human-resources-practices.pdf
National Comprehensive Center. (n.d.). Cultivating teacher talent through grow your own programs. Retrieved May 22, 2023, from
https://compcenternetwork.org/ccn-products/multimedia/cultivating-teacher-talent/#/
Redding, C. (2019). A teacher like me: A review of the effect of student-teacher racial/ethnic matching on teacher perceptions of students and student academic and behavioral outcomes. Review of Educational Research, 89(4), 499-535.
http://dx.doi.org/10.3102/0034654319853545
Reed, B. (2018). Special feature: Teacher recruitment and retention. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, Regional Educational Laboratory Northwest.
https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/Products/Region/northwest/Resource/60170
REL Central. (2023). Diversifying the teacher workforce: Promising strategies from the regional educational laboratories and comprehensive centers. [Infographic]. Retrieved January 2, 2024 from
https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/Products/Region/central/Resource/107516
REL Central (2018). Diversifying and widening the teacher pipeline with grow your own programs. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, Regional Educational Laboratory Central. Retrieved May 22, 2023, from
https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/Products/Region/central/Event/952
REL Mid-Atlantic. (2021). Ten factors to consider when implementing teacher and principal residency programs. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, Regional Educational Laboratory.
https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/Products/Region/midatlantic/ Resource/100411
REL Midwest. (2021). Recruitment and retention materials to support district administrators in Michigan. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, Regional Educational Laboratory.
https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/Products/Region/midwest/Resource/100631
REL Southwest. (2021). Grow your own program, from state education agency to school district to student outcomes. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, Regional Educational Laboratory. Retrieved May 22, 2023, from
https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/Products/Region/southwest/Event/100662
Wentzel, D., Barzee, S., Todd, C., Wachtelhausen, K., Cushing, L., Audet, K., Moye, A., Falconer, M., Wadowski, A., Dunne, K., Keirstead, C., Villani, S., Hill, D., Causey-Konate, T. (2019). Creating a district plan to increase the racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversity of your educator workforce: A guidebook for hiring and selection. Hartford, CT: Connecticut State Department of Education.
https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/SDE/Talent_Office/ HiringAndSelectionGuidebook.pdf
