MINORITY TEACHER RECRUITMENT: A Root Cause Analysis in Connecticut
Eastern Connecticut State University School of Education and Professional Studies/Graduate Division
Jacob Easley II Tanya Moorehead Overian Gordon Chamanthika Wickramasinghe Ayda Parra Rojas
March 2017
School of Education & Professional Studies (SEPS) and Graduate Division Eastern Connecticut State University 160 Webb Hall 83 Windham Street, Willimantic, Connecticut 06226 USA Phone: (860) 465-5292 | Fax: (860) 465-4538 www.easternct.edu/educationandprofstudies
Dear Colleagues: Equity and access are important goals for social justice practice in the field of educator preparation. The belief that every student in Connecticut is deserving of a well prepared teacher who possesses the skills to support their holistic development is one that must be honored by action. Such action does not rest with a single entity, but begs multiorganizational commitment. This includes state and local policy makers, community groups, school districts, and educator preparation programs, to name a few. The current teaching force, both across the nation and in Connecticut, does not represent the student population served by our schools. For the next generation of school-goers, no racial group will outnumber another. We must act today to meet the needs of a rapidly changing society. Eastern Connecticut State University is committed to this charge. Ensuring equity within the teaching profession is a long-term endeavor. In some cases, it requires a shift in institutional culture. In 2015, Eastern partnered with the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education’s (AACTE) Holmes Program to grow the number of teacher candidates from underrepresented communities. The inaugural cohort of Holmes Masters was inducted the following year. One Dean’s scholarship was also awarded for the cause. In addition, the School of Education and Professional Studies has partnered with two regional school districts to provide funded, year-long residencies at the graduate level. These, along with dual enrollment programs for high school students and a collaboration with Spelman College (a nationally ranked Historically Black College [HBCU]), represent initial steps toward expanded access to the profession and enhanced culturally responsive curriculum. This report is yet another example of multiorganizational commitment. Taking the lead from state-level attempts to reverse the tide of minority teacher disproportionality, Eastern conceptualized a root cause analysis pilot to further examine the reasons why high school students would find interest in the profession. The aim was to unearth factors not previously addressed by state-supported initiatives, such as assistance with basic skills examinations required for program entry. It is our hope that the results will spark conversations for enhancements to policy and practice, as well as inform ongoing research. We invite our colleagues to join us in learning the emergent root causes for minority teacher disproportionality in the state of Connecticut. We encourage conversation for implications that may be acted upon across the profession, thus furthering coordinated and multiorganizational commitment to equity and access. Regards,
Jacob Easley II, Ph.D. Dean, School of Education and Professional Studies/Graduate Division
INTRODUCTION The latest Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) report for the State of Connecticut (2013-2014) reveals 3,558 candidates enrolled at the 18 teacher education providers across the state. Yet, an analysis of teacher education enrollment indicates that only 7% of the matriculating candidates were of racial/ethnic minority backgrounds. This finding is similar to the rate of in-service minority teachers across the state, which hovered around 8% between the years of 2009-2014 (Connecticut State Department of Education, n.d.). Data for Eastern Connecticut State University show that Eastern increased its overall percentage of minority teacher candidates from less than 5% in 2006 to 13% in 2011, with an overall average of 10% over the past three years (2014-2016).
On average, 8% of Connecticut teachers represent minority communities.
The IPEDS data clearly indicate a shortage of minority educators entering the teaching workforce in Connecticut. Considering the long-term influence of education, the level of diversity within urban schools needs to be increased. According to the U.S. Department of Education’s 2016 report, “The State of Racial Diversity in the Educator Workforce,” White educators represent 82 percent of public school teachers. This number has hardly changed in the last decade. Boser (2014) argues, “Every state has a higher percentage of students of color than educators of color” (as cited in U.S. Department of Education [USED], 2016, p. 2). The state of Connecticut has engaged several initiatives to mitigate educator disproportionality, some by legislative action. Working through the regional service centers, the state has sought to: • assist minority students with Praxis exam preparation • promote TEACH grants • provide scholarships for participants in accelerated programs (incidentally, funding for these awards no longer exists) • create a high school recruitment program
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Yet, despite these efforts, disproportionality among the state’s teacher workforce remains persistent. According to the Center for Educational Progress, Connecticut outperforms only nine other states on the “Teacher Diversity Index” that counts the percentage-point difference between students of color and teachers of color (Boser, 2014).
METHODS Eastern Connecticut State University has sought to better understand the conditions of minority teacher disproportionality and recruitment within the state. Guided largely by prior state-level efforts, a root cause analysis was constructed to ascertain the perceptions of the state’s future workforce—minority high school students. Root cause analysis is designed to unearth not only the what and how of incidents, but more importantly, the why (Rooney & Heuvel, 2004). Root cause analysis (RCA) is designed to reach beyond the symptom of an issue or the manifestation of an occurrence. The aim is to discover the underlying triggers and causes for the purpose of developing solutions. Eastern’s RCA is an emergent effort. It is limited by its sample size and regional restriction. The study was crafted from the higher education perspective. The primary focus rests with factors for minority high school student recruitment via traditional, higher education teacher preparation programs. The findings are intended to initiate a state-wide conversation, and to inform larger RCA studies to address minority teacher disproportionality in Connecticut. RCA research design was conducted to ascertain factors likely and least likely to promote teacher recruitment among two cohorts of minority high school students in Connecticut. Participation was voluntary across two high schools. An electronic survey was distributed to 202 minority high school students. A total of 108 completed surveys were received, for a 53.46% return rate. Univariate analysis was conducted to examine multiple choice and Likert-scale items, and data are reported by percent distribution. Data from open-ended items were analyzed by the authors (one administrator, one faculty member, and three graduate students). Initial coding of data was conducted to establish patterns, followed by axial coding to formulate categories as relationships among the codes. This level of analysis was informed by the coding paradigm of Morrow and Smith (1995).
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ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS In the fall of 2016, Eastern researchers administered an electronic survey regarding the teaching profession to 202 students, and received 108 responses. The researchers conducted a root cause analysis to examine the reasons why high school students would have an interest in the teaching profession. The findings involved 14 indicators, as well as two open-ended questions; the results for each indicator follow.
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RACE/ETHNICITY More than 76% of the survey respondents classified themselves as African American/Black, 12% reported a Hispanic/Latino background, 9.26% indicated representing more than one race, and 1.85% classified themselves as “Other.�
More than one race 9.26%
Race/Ethnicity
Other 1.85%
Latino or Hispanic 12.04% White or Caucasian (0%) Black or African American Latino or Hispanic
Black or African American 76.85%
Asian or Pacific Islander (0%) American Indian or Alaskan Native (0%) More than one race Other
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CURRENT ACADEMIC ENROLLMENT One of the 108 respondents was enrolled in middle school; the remaining 107 respondents were high school students.
Academic Enrollment
Middle School 0.93%
High School Middle School Not Enrolled (0%)
High School 99.07%
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GENDER Respondents by gender: 61.11% female; 38.89% male.
Gender
Male
Male 39%
Female Transgender (0%)
Female 61%
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COLLEGE ASPIRATIONS: TWO OR FOUR-YEAR INSTITUTION A vast majority (86.11%) of respondents indicated interest in attending a four-year university, while 12.04% of respondents indicated interest in two-year college and 1.85% indicated interest in neither option.
Two-Year vs. Four-Year Institution Two-Year College 12.04% Neither 1.85% Two-Year/Community College Four-Year College/University Neither
Four-Year College 86.11%
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TEACHING AS A VALUABLE PROFESSION An overwhelming majority of respondents characterized teaching as a valuable profession, with a net positive of 85.98%. While just over 10% of respondents remained neutral, the net negative amounted to less than 4%.
Teaching as a Valuable Profession 80.00%
68.22%
70.00% 60.00% 50.00% 40.00% 30.00%
17.76%
20.00% 10.00%
10.28% 2.80%
0.93%
0.00% DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
NEUTRAL
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SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
TEACHING AS AN ATTRACTIVE PROFESSION With a net positive of 50.46%, the statement that teaching is an attractive professional option revealed a smaller majority than the perceived value for the profession and for other items throughout the survey. The net negative was 20.56%, and the remaining 28.97% of respondents remained neutral, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the statement.
Teaching as an Attractive Profession 40.00%
37.38%
35.00%
28.97%
30.00% 25.00% 20.00% 15.00% 10.00%
13.08%
13.08%
7.48%
5.00% 0.00% DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
NEUTRAL
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SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION A teacher education environment that welcomes the inclusion of all people was cited as important by nearly all respondents, with a net positive of 98.04%. The net negative amounted to less than 1% of respondents, and an equal percentage of respondents remained neutral.
Diversity and Inclusion 90.00%
85.29%
80.00% 70.00% 60.00% 50.00% 40.00% 30.00% 20.00%
12.75%
10.00% 0.00%
0.00%
0.98%
0.98%
DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
NEUTRAL
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SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
DIVERSITY OF FACULTY The importance of faculty diversity revealed a majority similar to the item regarding the teaching profession’s attractiveness, with a net positive of 53.92%. The net negative amounted to 27.45%, and 18.63% of respondents remained neutral.
Diversity of Faculty 40.00%
35.29%
35.00% 30.00% 25.00% 20.00%
18.86%
18.63%
18.63%
NEUTRAL
SOMEWHAT AGREE
15.00%
8.82%
10.00% 5.00% 0.00% DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
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AGREE
LACK OF IMPORTANCE OF FINANCIAL AID PACKAGES A net negative of more than 84% regarding the statement that it is NOT important that university programs offer a selection of financial aid packages suggests that a variety of financial aid options is important for minority teacher recruitment. Just under 9% of respondents remained neutral, and the net positive amounted to slightly less than 7% of respondents.
Financial Aid Not Important 80.00%
74.51%
70.00% 60.00% 50.00% 40.00% 30.00% 20.00%
9.80%
10.00%
8.82% 3.92%
2.94%
SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
0.00% DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
NEUTRAL
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OPPORTUNITIES TO WORK IN SCHOOLS Respondents overwhelmingly supported the notion that teacher preparation programs should offer opportunities for future teachers to work in schools while completing their training, with a net positive of more than 91%. Just under 9% of respondents remained neutral, and the net negative was zero.
Work in Schools 70.00%
62.75% 60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
28.43%
30.00%
20.00%
8.82%
10.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
NEUTRAL
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SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
ACADEMIC COUNSELING A vast majority of respondents supported the importance of a university offering academic counseling, with a net positive of 97%. A total of 3% of respondents remained neutral, and the net negative was 0%.
Academic Counseling 90.00%
80.00%
80.00% 70.00% 60.00% 50.00% 40.00% 30.00%
17.00%
20.00% 10.00% 0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
3.00% NEUTRAL
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SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
CAREER AND JOB PLACEMENT ASSISTANCE Similar to the academic counseling data, the vast majority of respondents supported the importance of a university offering career counseling and job placement assistance, with a net positive of 95.1%. Just under 4% of respondents remained neutral, and the net negative amounted to slightly less than 1%.
Career and Job Assistance 90.00%
82.35%
80.00% 70.00% 60.00% 50.00% 40.00% 30.00% 20.00%
12.75%
10.00%
0.98%
0.00%
DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
0.00%
3.92% NEUTRAL
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SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
TEACHER PREPARATION DIVERSITY The majority of respondents supported the importance of teacher preparation programs requiring candidates to work in schools with diverse student populations, with a net positive of nearly 69%. Slightly more than 20% of respondents remained neutral, while the net negative amounted to just under 11%.
Teacher Preparation Diversity 50.00%
45.10%
45.00% 40.00% 35.00% 30.00%
23.53%
25.00%
20.59%
20.00% 15.00% 10.00%
6.86% 3.92%
5.00% 0.00% DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
NEUTRAL
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SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
FUTURE EDUCATOR CLUBS FOR HS STUDENTS A large majority of respondents supported the importance of universities sponsoring future educator clubs for high school students, with a net positive greater than 86%. Just under 13% of respondents remained neutral, while the net negative amounted to less than 1%.
Future Educator Clubs 70.00%
59.80%
60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
26.47%
20.00%
12.75% 10.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.98%
DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
NEUTRAL
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SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
IMPORTANCE OF MULTICULTURAL CLUBS A net negative of more than 81% regarding the statement that it is NOT important that teacher preparation programs offer multicultural clubs suggests that multicultural clubs are an important component of successful minority teacher recruitment. The net positive amounted to slightly less than 6%, and 12.75% of respondents remained neutral.
Multicultural Clubs NOT Important 70.00%
65.69%
60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
15.69%
12.75%
10.00%
3.92%
1.96%
0.00% DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
NEUTRAL
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SOMEWHAT AGREE
AGREE
INDEPENDENT INFLUENTIAL FACTORS Two open-ended questions were to further contextualize the profession’s attractiveness: A) What factors (would) make teaching an attractive profession for me? and B) What factors make teaching a least attractive profession for me? Between the two items, clear patterns arose. Teacher salary and compensation (including a nine-month schedule, with summers off) were prominently mentioned. The benefit of influencing youth and children was noted as an attractive force. Respect for teachers by both the public and classroom students was frequently identified. Teaching what one loved, without restrictions, was also a frequent mention. Lesser patterns included long days and stress, as a deterrent, and teaching among peer groups of a multi-racial and multi-cultural staff was an attractive influence.
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CONCLUSION These findings hold implications for how higher education institutions might construct their teacher preparation programs. In particular, they shed light on areas of influence likely to attract minority high school students. State policy implications may also be considered, particularly with regard to teacher salary, the imaging of teaching as a profession, and curricular matters. As a matter of public service and advocacy, implications may also be relevant for local communities, addressing the value held for teachers. Relevant to each institution of higher education, state policy makers, and the public, it is clear that potential teachers of color find the profession important and would like to see greater diversity across the teacher workforce.
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS Jacob Easley II is Dean of the School of Education and Professional Studies/Graduate Division. He is a Holmes Scholar alumnus from The Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Easley’s research includes policy and politics of school effectiveness and improvement. In addition, he focuses on international perspectives on leadership preparation. Tanya Moorehead is an assistant professor, special education. She is a Holmes Scholar alumna from the University of Central Florida. Her research interests focus on inclusive education and clinical practice. Overian Gordon is a Dean’s Scholar at the School of Education and Professional Studies at Eastern Connecticut State University in the field of secondary English education. His work focuses on urban youth achievement. Chamanthika Wickramasinghe is a Holmes Master of the School of Education and Professional Studies at Eastern Connecticut State University in the field of Early Childhood Education. Her work revolves around the impact of culture and gender on the math performance of young children. Ayda Parra Rojas is a Holmes Master of the School of Education and Professional Studies at Eastern Connecticut State University in the field of Elementary Education. Her research interest centers on bilingual education.
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References Boser, Ulrich. Teacher Diversity Revisited: A New State-by-State Analysis, Center for American Progress (2014). https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wpcontent/uploads/2014/05/TeacherDiversity.pdf Center for American Progress Reports. Center for American Progress, Retaining Teachers of Color in Our Public Schools: A Critical Need for Action. June 2014. https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/ParteeTeachersOfColor-report2.pdf Connecticut State Department of Education. EdSight: Insight into education. (n.d.) http://edsight.ct.gov/SASPortal/main.do Morrow. S, & Smith, M. (1995). A grounded theory study: Constructions of survival and coping by women who have survived childhood sexual abuse. In J. Creswell (Ed.), Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five traditions (pp. 297-321). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. National Center for Education Statistics. The latest Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. (2013-2014). https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds Rooney, J. J. & Heuvel, L. N. V. Root cause analysis for beginners. Quality Progress, July 2014. https://www.env.nm.gov/aqb/Proposed_Regs/Part_7_Excess_Emissions/NMED_Exh ibit_18-Root_Cause_Analysis_for_Beginners.pdf U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, Policy and Program Studies Service. The State of Racial Diversity in the Educator Workforce, Washington, D.C. 2016. http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/highered/racial-diversity/state-racial-diversityworkforce.pdf.
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