Wanted: More Teachers of Color
In Minnesota, growing student diversity is outpacing the educator workforce
(EWA Radio: Episode 191)
The public school population in
Minnesota, as in many other states, is becoming more diverse by
race and ethnicity. But the teacher workforce? Not so much. About
one-third of Minnesota students are non-white, compared with
roughly 5 percent of teachers, as Faiza Mahamud and MaryJo
Webster
report for the Star Tribune newspaper. That’s a growing
problem for educators and policymakers looking to give more
students the opportunity to learn from someone who looks like
them — a benefit researchers say can improve academic
achievement, self esteem, and other factors in student success.
Mahamud, who covers the Twin Cities’ public schools, spent time
talking with students and families about what they’re looking for
in classroom teachers, and how a lack of diversity can hurt
family engagement, especially among newer immigrant families.
Webster, the newspaper’s data editor, shares the ins and outs of
finding — and crunching — statistics on teacher diversity, as
well as some lessons learned from the project.
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