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Home Products Pathways to Teaching: Teacher Diversity, Testing, Certification, and Employment in Washington State
The number and percentage of students of color are growing in Washington state, yet the teacher workforce remains largely White (non-Hispanic). This means that few students of color have teachers who share their race or ethnicity, which could have consequences for student achievement and wellbeing. To better understand the state’s shortage of teachers of color, this study investigated six steps in the teacher preparation and career pathway at which teacher candidates and teachers are likely to drop out or leave the profession: three teacher preparation tests, certification, employment, and retention. Among all teacher candidates who took at least one of these steps during 2010–19, Hispanic candidates and non-Hispanic candidates of color were less likely than White candidates to complete each step, took longer to complete each step, and were less likely to become a certificated educator in a Washington K–12 public school. The descriptive findings suggest that education policymakers consider revising policies and programs to increase the number of teachers of color. The state has already made changes, such as revising testing requirements for teacher candidates.
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ERIC Descriptors
Academic Persistence, African American Students, African Americans, Alaska Natives, American Indian Students, Asian American Students, Career Development, Diversity (Faculty), Educational Policy, Elementary Secondary Education, Employment Level, Employment Qualifications, Hawaiians, Hispanic American Students, Job Skills, Labor Turnover, Licensing Examinations (Professions), Minority Group Students, Minority Group Teachers, Multiracial Persons, Pacific Islanders, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Performance Based Assessment, Public Schools, Racial Differences, Student Diversity, Teacher Certification, Teacher Education Programs, Teacher Evaluation, Teacher Persistence, Teacher Recruitment, Teacher Shortage, Teaching Skills, Tests, White StudentsPublication Information
Northwest | Publication Type:
Descriptive Study | Publication
Date: June 2021
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