Ask adults who have overcome tremendous odds to be successful about the people who made a difference in their lives and they invariably mention their parents and teachers.

According to many educational experts, the teachers will be ones who showed compassion, who experienced similar struggles, who knew exactly how to relate. Very likely it was teachers who looked like their students.

Experts agree it is important for teachers to reflect the diversity of the student population, but while California's diversity keeps growing, the teacher pool remains persistently monochromatic. A recent study by the Center of American Progress pegs California's teacher "diversity gap" at 43 points. While 72 percent of students are of color, only 29 percent of teachers come from a minority group.

"This is a problem for students, schools and the public at large," writes Ulrich Boser, senior fellow of the Center for American Progress in "Teacher Diversity Matters: A State-by-State Analysis of Teachers of Color."

"Teachers of color serve as role models for students, giving them a clear and concrete sense of what diversity in