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Teacher diversity in Colorado

This partnership will work closely with Colorado Department of Education and partners including school districts, Colorado Department of Higher Education, and institutions of higher education, to support recruitment and retention of teachers of color. Initial partnership activities involve REL staff working closely with partners to (1) conduct a study of teacher preparation pathways to provide Colorado stakeholders with information to guide decision-making; (2) provide training, coaching, and technical assistance activities to support collection of data from teachers of color about factors that influence their career decisions, and (3) host webinars that highlight promising district-level strategies for improving teacher workforce diversity. The partnership will support state partners to use the information to take action to improve teacher workforce diversity, share information with and provide support to districts and teacher preparation programs as they make policy and practice decisions, and ultimately support improved student outcomes. Findings will also inform state and district initiatives encouraging teacher retention within the teaching pipeline, increase awareness of available pathway opportunities, and highlight promising professional pathways for potential teachers of color.

Current Projects

This project will build the capacity of Colorado Department of Education and Colorado Department of Higher Education staff, and, later, school and district staff, to identify and better understand factors that influence teachers of colors’ decisions to enter, stay, leave, or move from a teaching position. Partners will use the information gathered through the project to inform development of, or revisions to, the guidance and support they provide to districts to implement teacher recruitment and retention strategies that address identified challenges and factors affecting teachers of colors’ decisions to enter, stay, leave, or move from a teaching position.

No completed projects at this time.

Product Type: Infographic | Publication Date: December 2023
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 high priority for the states and districts that the Regional Educational Laboratories...
Event Type: Webinar | Event Date: March 09, 2023
Join REL Central, REL Central Governing Board member Dr. Curtis Garcia, and a teacher panel to learn about teacher shortages nationally and in Colorado and hear teacher perspectives about how pathways, positions, policy, and practices influenced their...
Event Type: Webinar | Event Date: February 15, 2023
Join REL Central and its partners at the Colorado Department of Education on February 15 from 1:30-3:00 EST to learn more about teacher diversity in Colorado, teacher diversity trends nationwide, the student-teacher diversity gap at national, state, and...
Product Type: Video | Publication Date: February 2023
This REL Central webinar examined teacher diversity in Colorado, teacher diversity trends nationwide, how students benefit from having a diverse teacher workforce, and the student-teacher diversity gap at national, state, and regional levels. The webinar...