Increasing the racial and cultural diversity of the teacher workforce takes a statewide commitment to collecting and analyzing educator workforce data and leading targeted, data-informed efforts to develop policies that recruit, support...,
July 27, 2022 by EdTrust 
Research says that teacher diversity benefits all students, regardless or race or ethnicity. However, while the majority of students in the U.S. are of color, only about 20% of teachers are of color.
Increasing the racial and cultural diversity of the teacher workforce takes a statewide commitment to collecting and analyzing educator workforce data and leading targeted, data-informed efforts to develop policies that recruit, support, and retain a high-quality and diverse educator workforce. This brief is designed to support these efforts by providing data analyses and a landscape of policies and practices for advocates, educators, and policymakers leading this work at the state level.
Student Data Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), 2017-18.
Teacher Data Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), 2017-18.
| Race/ethnicity | Students | Teachers |
| Asian | 5.1% | 2.2% |
| Black | 16.9% | 5.5% |
| Latino | 26.2% | 9.7% |
| Multiracial | 3.5% | 0.4% |
| American Indian / Alaska Native | 0.3% | Reporting standards not met |
| Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander | 0.1% | Reporting standards not met |
| White | 48% | 82% |
| Total Percentage of People of Color | 52% | 18% |
1. The data was pulled from K-12 public schools in the state, 2. K-12 classroom teacher full-time equivalents, 3. People of color describes people who identify as
Asian, Black, Latino, multiracial, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
Research shows students of color and students from low-income backgrounds are more likely to attend schools with greater numbers of novice teachers than their peers. While new teachers bring energy and passion into their classrooms and schools, teachers face a steep learning curve in their first few years of teaching. Schools with high turnover and a “revolving door” of new teachers can deeply affect student learning.
| Disparities between schools serving the most and fewest Black students | |||||||
| Schools Serving the Most Black Students | Schools Serving the Fewest Black Students | ||||||
| Percent Novice Teachers | 14% | 9% | |||||
| Percent First-Year Teachers | 8% | 5% | |||||
| Disparities between schools serving the most and fewest Latino students | |||||||
| Schools Serving the Most Latino Students | Schools Serving the Fewest Latino Students | ||||||
| Percent Novice Teachers | 13% | 11% | |||||
| Percent First-Year Teachers | 8% | 6% | |||||
| Disparities between Black and Non-Black Students | |||||||
| Black Students | Non-Black Students | ||||||
| Percent of Students in schools with High (>20%) percentages of Novice Teachers | 22% | 12% | |||||
| Percent of Students in schools with High (>20%) percentages of Uncertified Teachers | 10% | 2% | |||||
| Disparities between Latino and Non-Latino Students | |||||||
| Latino Students | Non-Latino Students | ||||||
| Percent of Students in schools with High (>20%) percentages of Novice Teachers | 16% | 14% | |||||
| Percent of Students in schools with High (>20%) percentages of Uncertified Teachers | 6% | 3% | |||||
To move from highlighting these inequities to proactively addressing them, see the Roadmap for State Success in our reports Getting Black Students Access to Non-Novice and Certified Teachers and Getting Latino Students Access to Non-Novice and Certified Teachers
To increase the racial diversity of the educator workforce, states must create the right policy conditions to support educator preparation programs, districts, and schools in their efforts to prepare, recruit, and retain teachers of color. The following describes the state’s progress toward creating those policy conditions:
RATING SCALE
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SHOWS IMPROVEMENT
1: Make Educator Diversity Data Visible and Actionable to StakeholdersFor states to make progress toward increasing the racial diversity of the educator workforce, all stakeholders must have access to useful and timely educator workforce data to set goals and chart a path forward. As keepers of state data systems, state education agencies are best positioned to collect and share this data, which should be publicly available and easily accessible so stakeholders can make targeted, strategic workforce decisions at the school, district, and state level. For data to be meaningful, states must: |
Illinois posts district-level data on the retention rates of educators of color on the state website.
However, the state should include data on the retention rates of educators of color through a dashboard, on individual school reports cards, or through a state-developed report that analyzes the retention rates of educators of color. For an example, see Delaware’s educator mobility data dashboard.
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MEETS ALL OR MOST OF THE REQUIREMENTS
2: Set clear goals at the state and district level to increase student access to diverse educators |
Illinois posted a goal to increase the number of minority teachers in Illinois public schools by the year 2025 and the number of minority teacher candidates by 2023 on their state website.
Therefore, the state earned a green in this category. For another example of a state that earned a green, see Arkansas’ goal to increase the number of minority teachers in public schools by 25% in 2025.
Illinois has offered opportunities for stakeholders to weigh in on the agency’s strategic plan, which includes goals centered on diversifying the workforce. Townhall-type meetings were held to gain feedback, and the draft report was posted online with an email address for public comment to be submitted.
Therefore, the state earned a green in this category.
Illinois provides links to externally created resources for local education agencies (LEAs) and educator prep programs on how to diversify the educator workforce on the state website.
The state should pair this guidance with funding opportunities to implement the strategies and develop plans to monitor progress. For an example, see New Jersey’s Diversifying the Teacher Pipeline Competitive Grant that expands and develops plans to recruit and prepare more educators of color to meet the needs of partnering with LEAs.
Illinois created a network of state members to track and monitor progress toward their educator diversity goals, including assigning a point of contact and lead to oversee the work.
Therefore, the state earned a green in this category. For another example of a state that earned a green, see Ohio’s Diversifying the Education Profession in Ohio Taskforce brief from fall 2018.
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MEETS SOME OF THE REQUIREMENTS
3: Invest in educator preparation programs to increase enrollment and improve the preparation of teachers of colorStates must invest in multiple inputs toward building an educator pipeline to increase the racial diversity of the workforce, starting with the preparation of educators of color. The state must create opportunities for educators of color to enroll and succeed in preparation programs and limit unnecessary barriers to the profession. To support the preparation of teachers of color, the state must: |
Illinois invests in The Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship program that provides scholarships for students of color who have achieved a secondary grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, are enrolled on at least a half-time basis at a qualified institution in a course of study leading to teacher licensure and maintain a grade point average above 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. In 2021, Illinois passed legislation to increase the scholarship ceiling to $7,500 and to include a new carve-out for bilingual candidates, pending appropriations.
Therefore, the state earned a green in this category. For another example of a state that earned a green, see Florida’s Minority Teacher Education Scholars Program.
Illinois will require all teacher preparation programs to create plans that diversify their candidate enrollment starting in 2022-23.
Therefore, the state earned a green in this category. For another example of a state that earned a green, see Alabama’s program approval standards.
Illinois developed new Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards that were passed in 2021.
However, the state should take concrete actions to change licensure policies to increase diversity including eliminating assessments or other burdensome licensure requirements that disproportionally affect candidates of color.
Illinois shows no evidence of meeting this goal.
The state should invest in supports and incentives for programs that prepare a high number of teachers of color, including MSIs, to grow their efforts to recruit and graduate more teachers of color. For an example, see Virginia’s increased investment in local historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) that prepare teachers of color to work in STEM fields.
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MEETS ALL OR MOST OF THE REQUIREMENTS
4: Target resources to districts and schools to support efforts to intentionally recruit and hire a diverse teaching workforceMany districts and schools across the country struggle to recruit and hire a more diverse teaching workforce using traditional methods. States play an important role in targeting resources toward these districts and schools to help develop initiatives that increase the racial diversity of the workforce. Research-based strategies that states should take to target resources toward these districts and schools include: |
Illinois funds Grow Your Own Illinois, which includes direct state funding to provide scholarships and assistance for community members to become certified teachers and work in schools in the state.
Therefore, the state earned a green in this category. For another example of a state that earned a green, see Texas’ Grow Your Own grant program.
Illinois set an FY21 goal to invest in anti-bias and cultural competence training within the state education agency.
Therefore, the state earned a yellow in this category.
The Grow Your Own Illinois program is required to consider high school students enrolled in a dual-credit course as potential candidates for recruitment. The statute also establishes the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program to encourage academically talented students, especially students of color, to pursue teaching careers. In addition, state regulation establishes the Paul Douglas Teacher Scholarship Program to encourage outstanding high school graduates to pursue teaching careers. Illinois recognized Educators Rising as a Career and Technical Service Organization (CTSO), unlocking Perkins funding. The Illinois P20 Council and other partners have also established the Scaling Education Pathways in Illinois initiative, which drives innovation in college and secondary district partnerships to expand early college and career development opportunities.
Therefore, the state earned a green in this category. For another example of a state that earned a green, see Oregon’s Minority Educator Pipeline Models Grant, which provides funds to school districts and postsecondary institutions to create collaborative processes, including a high school cadet program to recruit future educators who are culturally and linguistically diverse.
Illinois funds Grow Your Own Illinois, which facilitates partnership opportunities between districts, preparation programs, and Community Based Organizations in the state.
Therefore, the state earned a green in this category. For another example of a state that earned a green, see New York’s Teacher Diversity Pipeline Pilot program that funds partnerships between districts, preparation programs, and other entities to assist teacher aides and teaching assistants in obtaining teacher certifications.
Illinois shows no evidence of meeting this standard.
The state should invest in diversifying the educator workforce in areas that influence hiring and recruitment decisions, including the education leaders at teacher preparation programs, district leadership, and school leadership. For an example, see Massachusetts’ investment in diversifying the superintendent pipeline.
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SHOWS IMPROVEMENT
5: Invest in efforts to retain teachers of color including improving working conditions and providing opportunities for personal and professional growth for teachers of colorWhile many states have invested heavily in efforts to recruit teachers of color, these efforts are compromised when districts and schools have difficulty retaining teachers of color. States can improve retention of teachers of color by investing in programming that provides ongoing support and growth opportunities and improves poor working conditions that disproportionately affect teachers of color. Strategies that states should take to retain teachers of color include: |
Illinois developed an Alternative Educator Licensure Program for Teachers, which requires, among other things, a first year of residency. In addition, consistent with its ESSA state plan, Illinois is using state funds to support partnerships between institutions of higher education and high-need school districts to plan full-year teacher residencies through its Teacher Residency Planning Grant.
Therefore, the state earned a green in this category. For another example of a state that earned a green, see California’s investment in residency programs to recruit, develop support systems for, provide outreach and communication strategies to, and retain a diverse teacher workforce.
Illinois invested $2 million to create affinity groups for educators of color, which will include opportunities to build community and develop professionally.
Therefore, the state earned a green in this category. For another example of a state that earned a green, see Massachusetts’ investment in diversifying the superintendent pipeline.
Illinois provides a two-year induction and mentoring program for new teachers.
Therefore, the state earned a green in this category. For another example of a state that earned a green, see Minnesota’s $6 million investment in 2022 and 2023 for districts to develop mentorship programs that prioritize teachers of color.
Illinois law requires districts to provide implicit bias training to teachers and staff in each school. However, an unpublished survey conducted by Advance Illinois in summer of 2020 showed that most districts either had not done the training or were relying on an asynchronous online “click-through” training that teachers felt was not satisfactory.
Therefore, the state earned a red in this category.
6: Use federal COVID-related relief funds to invest in strategies to increase the racial diversity of the educator workforce.Through the American Rescue Plan (ARP), the federal government has invested $190 billion to support state and local efforts to provide high-quality instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of this money can — and should — be utilized to fund efforts to increase the racial diversity of the educator workforce through short- and long-term solutions. Each state submitted an ARP plan to invest funding to address several issues, including building strong and diverse workforces, and many states have used ESSER funds and other federal sources to invest in strategies to increase the diversity of the workforce. The information below represents the state’s effort to invest in teacher diversity strategies since March 2021: |
In the Illinois state ARP plan, the SEA wrote that it is currently pursuing data-driven work with educator preparation programs to set and achieve specific diversity targets for recruitment and retention. It is also collaborating with other education agencies, such as the Illinois Community College Board and Illinois Board of High Education, to streamline articulation, promote dual enrollment, emphasize recruitment, and develop seamless curriculum for future educators from early college experiences through licensure.
The state supports residency programs and other proven preparation models that prepare candidates for high-needs placements, such as Golden Apple, Grow Your Own Teachers Illinois, and Teach for America.
In the past two years, the SEA has also funded two cohorts of CTE Educator Career Pathway grants to attract high school students to careers in education and accelerate their preparation and readiness through education-related field experiences and dual credit coursework.
Illinois used nearly $10 million of ARP funds for projects that help build a diverse workforce that reflects the state’s student population, including partnerships with educator preparation programs, teacher residency programs, and programs to support the pipeline for bilingual educators.
Other Federal Investments to Note: Illinois used Title IIA funds to support the development and implementation of the Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards in educator preparation programs, which will have the added benefit of making programs more attractive, inclusive, and responsive to candidates of color.
TAPPING INTO THE AFTER-SCHOOL PIPELINE
One underutilized strategy for increasing the racial diversity of the teacher workforce is to recruit and prepare those who have experience working in after-school or out-of-school time (OST) programs to enter the teaching profession. State policymakers can adopt policies to build this potentially high-leverage pipeline of teachers of color into the profession. To do so effectively, they must not only increase targeted recruitment of after-school/OST staff but also structure programming to draw upon this group’s experiences while they’re enrolled in preparation programs.
Here are three ways to build an after-school pipeline:
State Actions:
Provide funding, guidance, and support for Grow Your Own (GYO) programs, which traditionally attract candidates of color
Investment in partnerships between districts and teacher preparation programs, particularly minority serving institutions, to ensure targeted hiring
State Actions:
Investment in scholarship and loan forgiveness programs to attract students of color into teacher preparation programs
State Actions:
Adopted rigorous program approval standards for teacher preparation programs to recruit and graduate candidates
