Teacher diversity benefits all students

No one will debate the existence of a national achievement gap between white students and almost every other subgroup in America’s K-12 schools. But while we surely acknowledge the divide, it does not reflect the hundreds of thousands of exceptional students of color who go on to achieve great things. There are countless examples of people of color who have found success: among Silicon Valley’s finest innovators, as best-selling authors, as finance executives. But research has shown that our brightest black and brown students are seldom encouraged to become teachers and often have no desire to join the profession. Work hard, get good grades, graduate at the top of your class — to become a teacher?

A wealth of data reveals a lack of diversity in the teaching profession. Indeed, while people of color account for 36 percent of the American workforce, they make up only 17 percent of teachers. The majority of the workforce will be comprised by people of color by 2030, and students of color already outnumber their white peers. This lack of diversity in the teaching profession is troubling given the research showing the benefit of teachers of color on all students.

Raising the standards for entering the teaching profession — making it a more desirable profession among high-achievers while simultaneously aiming to increase diversity — will yield the kind of teachers we need standing before students each day.