By Mariella Magaña, Teach for America
Last weekend, the National Council La Raza (NCLR) convened in New Orleans. During a panel discussion, actress and Latino rights activist, Eva Longoria asserted that a major barrier for Latino education is the lack of Latino representation among teachers and school boards. Longoria’s comments touch on an important issue in Latino education: There are not enough Latino teachers in the United States to meet the needs of a student body that continues to become more diverse.
Currently, 22% of all public school students are Latino, but only 7% of teachers are Latino and only 2% are males. Even more concerning is that while the number of teachers of color has doubled to 640,000 over the past 20 years, this victory in recruitment has not translated in retainment. Minority teachers have turnover rates that are 20% higher than turnover rates among white teachers.
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