Improving teacher diversity in New York State

It’s not revelatory to say many students feel more comfortable in learning environments led by teachers who reflect their racial and cultural identities. For K-12 students, educators serve as a vital support system. Schools can even represent the first introduction to day-to-day life outside some students’ neighborhoods and families. This makes representation in the classroom paramount — and learning from racially diverse educators provides tangible, relatable, aspirational examples for young learners.

That’s why we should be concerned by new findings from The Education Trust—New York.

The report, “Representation Matters: A look at the state of teacher diversity in New York State” revealed the state’s teacher workforce falls far short of reflecting the rich racial and ethnic diversity of its student population.

This is worrying, especially because the advantages of teacher representation are well known. In 2018, research by the Learning Policy Institute (LPI) clearly demonstrated the benefits of developing and sustaining a diverse teaching workforce, including improved reading and math test scores, higher graduation rates, and increased aspirations to attend college by students of color.

Yet, Ed Trust—NY reports more than one in five New York students attend schools without any teachers of color on staff; and around one in 10 Black and Latinx students attend schools without teachers who reflect their race.

And it’s not just New York. A recent Pew Research Center report detailed how America’s public school teachers are far less racially and ethnically diverse than their students.

But in New York, this is an issue that’s come to the forefront in recent years. A 2019 report by the state Education Department noted that in 2017, just 20% of New York State’s teachers were persons of color, compared to approximately 56% of the student population. New York City fares better in its educator diversity than other areas of the state, with almost 42% teachers of color. But with a student of color population in NYC at 85%, there remains much work to do. Simply put, we can do better.

We can start by eliminating barriers to recruitment and retention for teachers of color. Inadequate preparation when pursuing alternative routes to the profession, lack of ongoing support, racially biased or exclusionary content in teacher licensure exams, and unnecessary hurdles all contribute to an inequitable landscape, according to LPI.

It’s imperative that schools and educator preparation programs in colleges and universities work together to reimagine professional preparation possibilities in an inclusive, accessible way that removes unnecessary barriers of time and location.

One proven way to do this is through innovations such as accredited, online competency-based education. Pioneered at Western Governors University in 1997, this model measures skills and subject knowledge rather than hours spent in a classroom. It mitigates time, location, and cost barriers, and is especially effective for would-be teachers who have existing work or family responsibilities.

This competency-based model has enabled WGU’s School of Education to become a nationally recognized leader in strengthening the diverse-educator talent pipeline. The institution is now in the top 1% for granting degrees for Black and Hispanic/Latinx educators at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, and is second in the nation for combined graduate and undergraduate degrees and credentials earned by students of color, according to the federal Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).

But it’s just one solution. We need more outside-the-box thinking to close the gap.

Gov. Hochul has taken commendable steps, launching a $30 million residency program for teachers in training, and prioritizing initiatives to upskill paraprofessionals and teaching assistants.

The push to certify teachers’ aides — an approach that’s picking up steam and was recommended as a state-level action in a new report highlighted by EdWeek — is a good start. Around 100,000 paraprofessionals are already working with students every day in New York’s schools; we can repay their commitment to our children by investing in their careers.

Even if the state provides funding for a teacher’s aide to become certified, there are some for whom education will remain inaccessible, because a traditional program remains impossibly disruptive to their lives. These are working adults with real-world responsibilities.

With every degree and certification earned, another diverse teaching candidate is available to communities across the U.S., including those in New York. Let’s work harder to strengthen accessible pathways for professional educators, and with each hiring, seek to reflect in our educators the rich diversity of our students and our communities.

Watts is a regional vice president for Western Governors University, a nonprofit, accredited university focused on competency-based learning that serves 3,300 students in New York and more than 1,000 in the greater New York City area.