By: Erica Romero

Research consistently shows that all students do better when they see a diverse educator workforce; but students of color thrive when they see themselves reflected in their educators.  From fewer disciplinary actions to increased college going rates, the benefits of a diverse teacher workforce on an increasingly diverse student population are undeniable. 

Yet today, our teachers, and other educators, are far from reflecting the diverse students they serve.  Across the United States, 28 percent of our K-12 students are Latino, while only 9 percent of educators identify the same way. There are schools and districts where a student may never encounter a Latino teacher. We know that this reality is detrimental to the educational success of our Latino students. 

Given the teacher shortage today and the need to diversify our workforce so that we are better serving all of America’s students, what can we do as a country to address both issues simultaneously? Recently, we at Latinos for Education conducted research among our educator network through survey and focus groups and this is what we heard. 

1. We must ensure that Latino high school students are seeing themselves as potential future educators and are being set up for success in the field. Creating a seamless pipeline for high school students to begin preparing for a teaching career that starts with dual credit high school programs and provides a starting point for teaching is a great start.  Dual enrollment programs allow Latino students to save both time and money in earning a degree. For a community that is largely low-income and first-generation, that is incredibly important.  
2. As students go through educator preparation programs, institutions of higher learning should strive to ensure that faculty are diverse and reflect a diverse student population. They should also have inclusive and robust curriculum that prepares future educators to effectively teach all students. 
3. Standard licensure tests are often barriers for students of color who want to become educators. Not only is the cost of exams and exam preparatory courses prohibitive, but the results do not always reflect the ability of these students to become effective teachers. Grants need to be abundant and cover the costs of all exams required to become certified teachers. States also should include multiple pathways to certification. We expect educators teaching our students to be high quality, but a standardized test is not the only way to ascertain whether a teacher is effective.   
4.  We need to value the teaching profession appropriately and one of the ways to do that is by paying teachers a higher wage.  If we expect to decrease the teacher shortage, and increase diversity, we must be willing to renumerate our teachers in a way that incentivizes our best and brightest to enter the teaching profession – and remain in the classroom.  We must also ensure that our educators feel valued through an inclusive school culture, where teacher voices are valued.
5. We need to provide ongoing, paid professional development and training to our teachers to allow them to grow in their profession.  Research has shown that in some communities, professional development isn’t paid, and some teachers even must pay for substitutes during PD during normal classroom times. This should not be the case. Additionally, the instruction should be culturally responsive and should prepare our educators to educate their diverse classrooms effectively. 
6. We must provide growth opportunities for teachers. For example, experienced teachers can become mentors to new teachers, schools can provide opportunities and training for classroom teachers to become assistant principals, principals, and create a pathway towards superintendency.  If we expect talented individuals to remain in the classroom, we need to provide them with opportunities to grow as professionals.

You can read other policy recommendations by downloading our Latino Action Agenda.  

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Erica Romero is responsible for providing thought leadership, policy analysis, policy development, and cultivating key partner relations with decision makers and influencers in the federal education space. She previously served as Assistant Vice President of State Advocacy at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, as well as Vice President of External Relations at the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities. She is a graduate of both UC Berkeley and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.