Excellence Through Diversity: Why We Need More Teachers of Color    

Her attitude was: "You will excel in this subject. You will excel because you can, and you will excel because I said so. And excel we did." -Actress Phylicia Rashad on her African-American high school English teacher.

America is facing a teacher crisis.  Policy makers and legislators are clamoring for "highly qualified teachers," while many schools can't even find "warm bodies" to fill classrooms. Yet, in the midst of this "crisis," one essential element is being overlooked: the need to recruit more African-American and other teachers of color. About one-third of public school students are members of racial/ethnic minority groups, while only about 13% of teachers are racial/ethnic minorities. Forty percent of America's schools have no minority teachers at all.  Some argue that  "race" doesn't matter and that skill and ability are the only measures of teacher quality. 

So does diversity matter?  Absolutely, and here's why:

• Children of color need teachers who look like them, who can be role models to demonstrate the efficacy of education and achievement.

• Teachers of color serve as role models to all children as they prepare to survive in a global marketplace and thrive within a truly multicultural world.

• Teachers of color improve the quality of education for all students by bringing diverse life experiences and perspectives into schools and classrooms.

Yet there are too many barriers for prospective teachers of color, including decreased access to higher education and the often negative image of teaching, particularly low pay and poor working conditions.  However, there is another significant barrier that must be addressed: the impact of teacher licensure tests and other certification standards.  Prospective teachers of color consistently score lower on standardized tests for entry into teacher preparation and teacher licensure.  While testing prospective teachers is important, there is little attention paid to other measures of teacher competence, such as actual performance in the classroom and there is often little, or no support, to help otherwise talented students pass these exams. So, while policy makers clamor for higher test scores in the name of teacherquality, too many talented, capable minority candidates are being excluded.

These trends do not bode well for the diversity of America's teachers. The true challenge for the 21st century is to develop a teacher recruitment agenda recognizing that we will never have a qualified teacher workforce that is not ethnically and racially diverse.  Here is how it can be done:

•  Improve K-12 schooling to enable all children to meet high academic standards and pursue higher education, if they choose;

•  Improve the conditions under which teachers teach to make schools better places to work;

• Significantly increase teacher salary to bring it up to par with other professions requiring similar skill and education;

• Expand the teacher candidate pool by targeting {teacher's aides, community college students, recent liberal arts graduates, and mid-career adults};

•  Advocate for support and assistance for teacher candidates who are otherwise qualified, but not passing the tests;

• Explore alternative methods of evaluating teacher skill and ability, such as portfolios and assessing actual teaching performance;

• Increase financial support for teacher preparation programs and their students through scholarship and loan forgiveness programs.

By doing these things, we will convince talented African-American students, like the readers of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN, that teaching is an honorable, exciting, and essential profession.  Let's not cheat our children by denying them a qualified and diverse teaching force. Be a hero. Be a teacher.

Segun Eubanks is a senior professional associate for the National Education Association, Washington, D.C.