Educator Diversity

There is an urgent need to increase the representation of teachers of color in the teaching profession. Teachers of color contribute to all students’ social, emotional, and academic development, with research showing particularly strong benefits for Black students taught by Black teachers. Benefits to students include increases in academic achievement, graduation rates, and aspirations to attend college. Despite the broad benefits of a diverse teaching workforce, the profession remains predominantly white. As of 2017, only 20% of the country’s teachers were people of color, even though people of color make up about 40% of the U.S. population. Teachers of color encounter unique barriers to entering and staying in the profession, but research points to promising practices for increasing the diversity of the educator workforce, including intentional preparation and hiring through high-retention pathways into the profession, provision of ongoing support, and policies that address college affordability.