Teacher Diversity

Teachers of color produce positive academic, social-emotional, and behavioral outcomes for all students, especially students of color, who have long been disadvantaged by our nation’s schools. Yet many students never have a single teacher of color. That needs to change.

The Benefits of a More Diverse Teacher Workforce

Teachers of color positively impact all students, especially students of color. The benefits of having a same-race teacher for a student of color cut across a number of educational factors: academic outcomes, like improved reading and math scores; and nonacademic factors, such as improved attendance, a greater sense of belonging, and lower rates of discipline.

While efforts to diversify the teacher workforce have resulted in real progress, the gains have not kept pace with rapidly diversifying adult and student populations. Understanding state and national demographic trends, state policies impacting teacher diversity, and the contributions of teacher preparation programs to the diversity of their state’s teacher workforce are key to building a stronger and more diverse teacher pipeline.

Latest Findings

What Can California, Texas, and Washington, D.C. Teach Us About How to Diversify the Teacher Workforce?

Nationally, the diversity of the teacher workforce is growing at a slower pace than that of college-educated adults, but California, Texas, and Washington, D.C. are bucking that trend. This latest brief explores possible reasons why and how some of their policies and practices may have unintended consequences.

Read the Brief
51%

Alternative teacher certification is big in Texas

More than half of Texas teacher prep grads (51%) come through alternative certification programs. This helps increases diversity, but also dramatically increases teacher turnover.

Explore the Data on Teacher Diversity

Teacher Diversity Dashboard

Teacher Diversity Dashboard

How are teacher workforce demographics changing relative to adult and student populations in your state and across the nation?

Which teacher prep programs are contributing to diversifying the teacher workforce in your state?

State Policies to Increase Teacher Diversity

State Policies to Increase Teacher Diversity

State leaders have an opportunity and responsibility to support greater diversity in the teacher workforce.

What are promising practices that can help increase teacher diversity in your state?

Teacher Prep Review: Program Diversity

Teacher prep programs have a responsibility to recruit and support aspiring teachers who will help make the teacher workforce more racially diverse.

Which programs are doing the most to realize the goal of a more diverse teacher workforce?

New report coming in 2025

How Licensure Test Pass Rates Impact Teacher Diversity

How Licensure Test Pass Rates Impact Teacher Diversity

Students benefit from a diverse, well-prepared teacher workforce. How can states set licensure test policies to better support a more diverse workforce?

How do aspiring teachers of color fare on your state’s licensure tests?

Strong Clinical Practice Can Support Aspiring Teachers of Color

Strong Clinical Practice Can Support Aspiring Teachers of Color

Opportunities for clinical practice are one of the most important aspects of teacher preparation.

How are some prep programs designing clinical practice to help aspiring teachers of color complete their programs and enter the classroom?

More like this

Endnotes
  1. Blazar, D. (2021). Teachers of color, culturally responsive teaching, and student outcomes: Experimental evidence from the random assignment of teachers to classes. EdWorkingPaper No. 21-501. Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University.
  2. Egalite, A., Kisida, B., & Winters, M. (2015). Representation in the classroom: The effect of own-race teachers on student achievement. Economics on Education Review, 45, 44–52; Goldhaber, D., & Hansen, M. (2010). Race, gender and teacher testing: How informative a tool is teacher licensure testing and how does it impact student achievement? American Educational Research Journal, 47(1), 218–51; Dee, T. S. (2004). Teachers, race, and student achievement in a randomized experiment. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 86(1), 195-210; Lindsay, C., Monarrez, T., & Luetmer, G. (2021). The effects of teacher diversity on Hispanic student achievement in Texas. Urban Institute. https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/105325/the-effects-of-teacher-diversity-on-hispanic-student-achievement-in-texas_0_0.pdf
  3. Holt, S., & Gershenson, S. (2015). The impact of teacher demographic representation on student attendance and suspensions. IZA Discussion Paper, No 9554; Blazar, D. (2021). Teachers of color, culturally responsive teaching, and student outcomes: Experimental evidence from the random assignment of teachers to classes. EdWorkingPaper: 21-501. Annenberg Institute at Brown University; Gottfried, M., Kirksey, J. J., & Fletcher, T. L. (2022). Do high school students with a same-race teacher attend class more often? Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 44(1), 149–169.
  4. Gist, C. D., & Bristol, T. J. (Eds.). (2022). Handbook of research on teachers of color and indigenous teachers. American Educational Research Association.
  5. Holt, S., & Gershenson, S. (2015).