We need more racial diversity in teachers

the district, they are few and far between. It is important that colleges handling enrollment and certi cation programs make serious e orts towards increasing diversity.

Vaidhyanathan Opinion Editor

e U.S. Department of Education nds that the elementary and secondary teacher workforce in the United States is neither as racially diverse as the students nor the population at large. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 80% of public school teachers were white in the 2017-18 school year, while approximately 50% of elementary and secondary public school students reported as white that same year.

roughout my 11 years in the T/E School District, I have not once had a South Asian teacher, and I know many others who have had a similar experience. While there are certainly teachers of color within would have been bene cial, chie y during crucial developmental years

Non-pro t public policy organization Brookings Institution notes that racial minority students o en perform better on standardized tests, are less likely to drop out of high school and increasingly likely to pursue a 4-year college education when they have at least one teacher of the same race. Holistic bene ts of a diverse teacher workforce are also abundant, ranging from improved attendance to a lower risk of suspension.

Underrepresentation of racial minority teachers may a ect minority students’ educational success, in turn limiting strong economic and social bene ts students gain from graduating high school.

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80% in the 2017-18 school year. To this point, Pew Research states that while the number of “Black, Hispanic and Asian American teachers has increased in recent decades, it has not kept pace with the rapid growth in the racial and ethnic diversity of their students.”

One solution some propose involves going straight to the recruitment sector of the hiring process and implementing various diversity initiatives. However, as found in a study conducted at University of Nebraska, recruitment is not the problem; instead, retention of these teachers is the real issue.