America Needs More Teachers of Colour and a More Selective Teaching Profession

Washington, D.C. – For the past three decades, two concerns have dominated the national conversation about the teaching workforce: diversity and talent. The teaching profession is not as racially diverse or selective as it needs to be, yet calls for making the selection process more rigorous have often been met with skepticism. Many educators, policymakers, and other stakeholders worry that increasing selectivity may lead to a less racially diverse teacher workforce. So, are the two goals compatible?

Based on findings from two new papers on this topic, the Center for American Progress believes the answer is a clear “yes.” CAP will host a presentation of these findings and a discussion among practitioners and policy thought leaders on the ways that stakeholders and advocates at all levels can work toward a teaching profession that is both more selective and diverse.

The first piece, “Revisiting the Persistent Teacher Diversity Problem, ”ranks states on the percentage-point difference between teachers of color and students of color. The authors find that the percentage of nonwhite students has continued to increase, while the percentage of diverse teachers has remained stagnant or has fallen.

In the second report—“America Needs More Teachers of Color and a More Selective Teaching Profession”—the authors highlight states, districts, and teacher preparation programs that have successfully increased both selectivity and diversity in the teacher workforce, and provide policy recommendations for those interested in tackling the issue in their own state, district, or teacher preparation program.

WHEN:

Thursday, September 28, 2017
10:00 am ET – 11:15 am ET

WHO:

Introductory remarks and presentation of findings:

Ulrich Boser, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress

Distinguished panelists:

Josh Anderson, Senior Vice President of Recruitment and Admissions, Teach For America

Casey Bethel, Science Teacher, New Manchester High School; 2017 Georgia Teacher of the Year

Sharif El-Mekki, Principal, Mastery Charter School—Shoemaker Campus; Co-Chair and Founder, The Fellowship: Black Male Educators for Social Justice

Angelica Infante-Green, Deputy Commissioner, New York State Department of Education

Moderated by:
Lisette Partelow, Director of K-12 Strategic Initiatives, Center for American Progress

RSVP: Click here to RSVP

WHERE:

Center for American Progress
1333 H Street NW, 10th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20005