Dive Brief:
- A new report from the Brookings Institution outlines the scope of the diversity problem in K-12 schools and the best ways to address it, based on their projected impact.
- Retaining black and Latino teachers is important, eSchool News reports, but 90% of black teachers and 92% of Latino teachers already remain in the classroom, compared to 93% of whites, so there is only little room for improvement — and data indicates diversity-focused hiring strategies are not especially effective either.
- Increasing the number of black and Latino students who go to college and graduate from college could substantially impact the diversity of the teaching force — in turn, helping to limit the cycle that contributes to low black and Latino student success and reduces the number of possible future teachers.
Dive Insight:
Given the options for increasing teacher diversity, Brookings Institution researchers expect the systemic, cyclical problems will continue to challenge schools until as late as 2060. Fewer students overall indicate teaching is a potential career choice for them on the ACT, so even as more black and Latino students go to college, there is only minimal hope they will end up in classrooms later.
It is important to note that two of the most effective strategies for increasing teacher diversity are largely out of the purview of K-12 administrators. Perhaps they shouldn’t be. Some K-12 districts are working to create a teacher pipeline of their own students, supporting future teachers clubs and offering hiring guarantees provided graduates meet certain expectations.
Just as K-12 schools are recognizing they need to get involved with families long before kindergarten registration, maintaining contact with students through college could pay big dividends later.