DATA
The research is clear: improving educator diversity benefits our entire society — particularly communities of color. By diversifying the workforce in a thoughtful and meaningful way, we can improve outcomes for all students.
Students of color who have teachers of the same race/ethnicity, identity, and lived experience are less likely to be suspended and more likely to graduate high school, enroll in postsecondary education, and obtain a postsecondary degree and/or credential. In preparing our students to be global citizens, a growing body of research shows that all students benefit from having teachers of color. Greater engagement, higher achievement, and opportunities for cross-cultural interactions can work against harmful stereotypes. This is especially true for students of color, who benefit more significantly.
Further, leaders of color provide rigorous academic opportunities for students of color, while fostering school environments that are more supportive and sustainable for both teachers and students of color. For example, Black principals increased the percentage of Black teachers in a school by up to 5.3 percentage points after replacing white principals in Missouri and Tennessee.
As community-based organizations, school districts, higher education, teacher preparation programs, and federal/state/local policymakers are all working to fill the needs of their communities, there is still work to be done.
- Public Schools without a Teacher of Color 23%
- Students of Color in the US 55%
- Teachers of Color in the US 22%
- Principals of Color 23%
Sources:
1) Teacher data collected from state department of education websites or via public information requests. Percentage based on an analysis from TNTP that leverages data collected on 64% of schools nationally from 28 states that make school-level teacher race/ethnicity data publicly available.
2) Student data sourced from the U.S. Department of Education’s Common Core of Data. Percentage represents the most recent school year where both teacher and student data is available in each state. 43 states’ (including DC) data is from the 2022-23 school year; 4 from the 2021-22 school year, 3 from the 2020-21 school year, and 1 (California) from the 2018-19 school year.
3) Teacher data collected from state department of education websites or via public information requests. Percentage represents the most recent school year where both teacher and student data is available in each state. 43 states’ (including DC) data is from the 2022-23 school year; 4 from the 2021-22 school year, 3 from the 2020-21 school year, and 1 (California) from the 2018-19 school year.
For the educator workforce to mirror student demographics, we would need to add one million teachers of color and thirty-thousand leaders of color to our nation’s schools.
Increased support, engagement, and training for leaders of color will improve the factors that lead to stronger retention rates in teachers of color. Concurrently, building support and pathways for teachers to become leaders is equally important for retention and morale. It gives teachers an attainable goal to aspire to that broadens their impact. In addition, mentorship and similar opportunities give teachers and leaders a sense of belonging, a network of support, and reliable resources to leverage.