Research has shown that favorable working conditions are related to the improved retention of all teachers, including teachers of color.¹ For example, studies that capture teacher perceptions have found that a culturally affirming environment with an explicit commitment to equity and social justice is important for teachers of color when deciding whether to stay in the profession.² What’s more, teachers report that school leaders play a key role in fostering these conditions.³ Growing and retaining a diverse teacher workforce also has the potential to improve student outcomes. Research indicates that students of color who are taught by teachers from a similar racial and ethnic background experience improved test scores, attendance, high school graduation rates, and social and emotional well-being.⁴

Through the Supporting Inclusive and Diverse Educator Environments (SIDEE) partnership, REL Midwest is working with Minnesota school districts to develop an approach to cultivate and sustain school cultures and working conditions that increase the retention of teachers of color and Indigenous teachers. Drawing on the research, the SIDEE approach includes four core components to develop these conditions: training on cultural proficiency, continuous leadership coaching focused on building an inclusive school culture, affinity groups to develop teacher peer support, and preparation for teachers of color and Indigenous teachers to serve as mentors to advance their own leadership aspirations and support other teachers.

Supports for teachers of color and Indigenous teachers in Minneapolis

To pilot the SIDEE approach, REL Midwest is working with Park Spanish Immersion (PSI) Elementary School in west suburban Minneapolis. In late August, 45 PSI elementary teachers and education staff met with instructional leadership coaches from REL Midwest for the first in six training sessions on cultural proficiency. During the session, staff reviewed a set of reflection questions⁵ designed to make self-appraisal, goal setting, and critical conversations related to cultural proficiency more concrete.

Over the next 2 months, REL Midwest staff held a series of coaching sessions with PSI school leaders and teachers of color. The sessions for school leaders explored research on the benefits of a diverse teacher workforce, and how that workforce can be leveraged to situate leadership successes and problems of practice. The coaching sessions for teachers of color and Indigenous teachers had two goals: provide peer support among teachers of color and Indigenous teachers through affinity groups, and advance teachers’ leadership aspirations and pedagogical strengths by preparing them to serve as school leaders and mentors. The framework for these sessions drew broadly from national mentoring standards, teacher leader standards,⁶ and The Power of Teacher Diversity: Fostering Inclusive Conversations Through Mentoring, which was developed by the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders at the American Institutes for Research.⁷

Although all school staff engaged in the cultural proficiency trainings and affinity group offerings, the SIDEE coaching sessions are designed for either school leaders or teachers of color. These professional learning opportunities directly support the SIDEE approach by ensuring that staff at every level are included in creating a more inclusive teaching environment.

Reflecting and looking ahead

Together, the SIDEE cultural proficiency trainings and coaching sessions provide a foundation for school leaders to reflect on how they can make systems, such as the observation process, more inclusive and responsive for teachers. This fall, PSI staff reflected on the SIDEE professional learning opportunities and how the opportunities aligned with their own professional development goals for the school year. Kelsey Clark, who is in her first year at PSI as an elementary support supervisor and a member of the pedagogical leadership team, said she enjoyed the cultural proficiency training, noting that "one of [her] goals for this school year is to learn more about the observation process."

Dr. Corey Maslowski, PSI’s principal, spoke about his positive experience with the REL Midwest coaches, saying, "I have been grateful for the content, the great instructors, and the flexibility in delivery to meet the needs and wants of our staff members." As a school leader, Dr. Maslowski is a key partner in fostering an inclusive work environment.

During the remainder of the school year, REL Midwest plans to offer PSI staff four facilitated affinity group discussions, six all-staff cultural proficiency trainings, seven coaching sessions with school leaders, and nine coaching sessions with teachers of color and Indigenous teachers. REL Midwest will test and refine this set of professional learning opportunities to determine the usability and feasibility of the SIDEE approach in future collaborations with community partners.