How college ed programs try, fail to recruit teachers of color
Only radical new engagement strategies can end racial disparity
Nationally, black males account for 2 percent of the teacher population. Blacks in total represent 8 percent of all teachers; Latinos, 7 percent; and Asians, 2 percent. My 3-year-old son could have approximately 50 different teachers by the time he graduates from high school. How many times should he expect to see an African American male teacher before graduation? This is a “Common Core” question I struggle with.
In a seminar titled, “How Do We Get More Black Male Teachers in America’s Classrooms?” At the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 44th Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., an audience member asked, “Are colleges even recruiting black male teachers?” As someone who is charged with building a teacher prep program, I can say most universities aren’t built to recruit from black communities.
Black and brown people represent 30 percent of the population. But they represent 15 percent of teachers, and that figure is in decline. Woodrow Wilson reports that if current trends hold, the percentage of teachers of color will fall to an all-time low of 5 percent by 2020. But today for the first time in American history, the majority of public school students are of color.
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Diversity matters when it comes to learning. Ethnic minorities benefit from seeing teachers who share similar backgrounds. This reality motivated the Center for American Progress to create their DiversityIndex, which “ranks states on the percentage-point difference between teachers of color and students of color.” But everyone benefits from seeing authentic teaching and learning come from all walks of life. Even though we should all have diverse teachers in our lives, most of us don’t.
The days of recruiters waiting for aspiring teachers to willingly hand over their tuition in exchange for a certificate are over. If we want teachers of color, colleges are going to have to recruit outside their social networks. Meaning, we really have to recruit.”
Before explaining the lack of infrastructure to recruit black teachers, I must assert an extraneous but important claim. Students are more likely to become teachers if they’re treated with respect while in school. If racial disparities in suspension and expulsion provide indications of preferential treatment, then our teacher recruitment strategy should include “discipline” reform. Unfortunately, schools are a negative flashpoint in many black children’s lives. In addition, a lack of school quality makes it more difficult for aspiring teachers to meet the ever-increasing academic requirements to enroll in programs. Students’ educational experiences will influence future career decisions.
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The Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Preparation (CAEP) and organizations like Teach for America have certainly raised the bar for entry into the profession. A college 3.0 GPA has become standard. Again, if students aren’t prepared at the secondary and postsecondary levels, then they won’t be able to pass required tests for How college ed programs try, fail to recruit teachers of color | The Hechinger Report:
