For the past three decades, two concerns have dominated the national conversation about the teaching workforce: diversity and talent. The teaching profession is not as racially diverse or selective as it needs to be, yet calls for making the selection process more rigorous have often been met with skepticism. Many educators, policymakers, and other stakeholders worry that increasing selectivity may lead to a less racially diverse teacher workforce. So, are the two goals compatible?
At this event, the Center for American Progress will discuss two new papers on this topic. The first piece—“Revisiting the Persistent Teacher Diversity Problem”—ranks states on the percentage-point difference between teachers of color and students of color. The authors find that the percentage of nonwhite students has continued to increase, while the percentage of diverse teachers has remained stagnant or has fallen.
In the second report—“America Needs More Teachers of Color and a More Selective Teaching Profession”—the authors highlight states, districts, and teacher preparation programs that have successfully increased both selectivity and diversity in the teacher workforce, and provide policy recommendations for those interested in tackling the issue in their own state, district, or teacher preparation program.
Please join the Center for American Progress for a presentation of findings from these reports and a discussion among practitioners and policy thought leaders on the ways that stakeholders and advocates at all levels can work toward a teaching profession that is both more selective and diverse.
Introductory remarks and presentation of findings:
Stephenie Johnson, Associate Campaign Director, Center for American Progress
Distinguished panelists:
Josh Anderson, Senior Vice President of Recruitment and Admissions, Teach For America
Casey Bethel, Science Teacher, New Manchester High School; 2017 Georgia Teacher of the Year
Sharif El-Mekki, Principal, Mastery Charter School—Shoemaker Campus; Co-Chair and Founder, The Fellowship: Black Male Educators for Social Justice
Angelica Infante-Green, Deupty Commissioner, New York State Department of Education
Kimalee Dickerson, Pre-Doctoral VEST Fellow, University of Virginia, Curry School of Education
Moderated by:
Lisette Partelow, Director of K-12 Strategic Initiatives, Center for American Progress