Educator Diversity State Profile: North Carolina
North Carolina Demographic Data (2018-19)
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 | 3.3% | 0.4% |
| Black | 25.3% | 14.7% |
| Latino | 17.5% | 3.9% |
| Multiracial | 4.3% | 2.5% |
| American Indian / Alaska Native | 1.2% | 1.5% |
| Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander | 0.1% | Rounds to 0 |
| White | 48.3% | 77% |
| Total Percentage of People of Color | 51.7% | 23% |
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
Access to Non-Novice Teachers in North Carolina
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.
Here is the state of Black and Latino student access to non-novice and certified teachers in North Carolina:
| 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 | 10% | 4% | |||||
| Percent First-Year Teachers | 4% | 2% | |||||
| 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 | 8% | 6% | |||||
| Percent First-Year Teachers | 3% | 3% | |||||
| Disparities between Black and Non-Black Students | |||||||
| Black Students | Non-Black Students | ||||||
| Percent of Students in schools with High (>20%) percentages of Novice Teachers | 10% | 4% | |||||
| Percent of Students in schools with High (>20%) percentages of Uncertified Teachers | 50% | 44% | |||||
| Disparities between Latino and Non-Latino Students | |||||||
| Latino Students | Non-Latino Students | ||||||
| Percent of Students in schools with High (>20%) percentages of Novice Teachers | 6% | 5% | |||||
| Percent of Students in schools with High (>20%) percentages of Uncertified Teachers | 51% | 44% | |||||
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
Policy Scan
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
Goals
- Make educator diversity data visible and actionable to stakeholders
- Set clear goals at the state and district level to increase student access to diverse educators
- Invest in educator preparation programs to increase enrollment and improve the preparation of teachers of color
- Target resources to districts and schools to support efforts that intentionally recruit and hire a diverse teaching workforce
- Invest in efforts to retain teachers of color that improve working conditions and provide opportunities for personal and professional growth
- Use federal COVID-related relief funds to invest in strategies that increase the racial diversity of the educator workforce
|
MEETS ALL OR MOST OF THE REQUIREMENTS
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: |
North Carolina posts state-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 .
|
MEETS SOME OF THE REQUIREMENTS
2: Set clear goals at the state and district level to increase student access to diverse educators |
North Carolina hosted the DRIVE Summit to develop a taskforce to create measurable state goals and identify strategies to increase the racial diversity of the educator workforce.
However, the state should create a clear, numeric goal that is measurable, limited in time, and publicly available. For an example, see Arkansas’ goal to increase the number of minority teachers in public schools by 25% in 2025.
North Carolina hosted the DRIVE Summit to develop a taskforce to measure goals and identify strategies to increase the racial diversity of the educator workforce.
Therefore, the state received a green in this category.
North Carolina does not provide funding or guidance for districts and preparation programs to set goals and invest in strategies to increase the racial diversity of the workforce.
The state should provide guidance and funding for districts and/or educator preparation programs to set goals, implement strategies, and develop plans to monitor progress. For an example, see New Jersey’s Diversifying the Teacher Pipeline Competitive Grant Program for educator preparation programs to expand and develop plans to recruit and prepare more educators of color to meet the needs of partnering local education agencies (LEAs).
North Carolina led a DRIVE Summit to develop a taskforce to measure goals and identify strategies to increase the racial diversity of the educator workforce.
However, the state should use that group to create a report or brief that includes data and recommendations to increase the racial diversity of the workforce at the state-level. For an example, see Ohio’s Diversifying the Education Profession in Ohio Taskforce brief from the fall of 2018.
|
MEETS ONE OR NO 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: |
North Carolina does not invest in scholarships and/or loan- forgiveness programs to attract students of color into teacher preparation programs.
The state should invest in scholarships and/or loan-forgiveness programs that target students of color. For an example, see Florida’s Minority Teacher Education Scholars Program .
North Carolina does not have any program approval standards that compel programs to recruit and graduate candidates of color.
The state should adopt a program approval standard that requires preparation programs to show evidence of plans and efforts to recruit and support a more racially diverse candidate pool in their programs. For an example, see Alabama’s program approval standards.
North Carolina’s Professional Educator Preparation and Standards Commission (PEPSC) has recommended a measure to collect information on the enrollment, persistence, and completion of Educator Preparation Programs in the state.
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.
North Carolina does not intentionally invest in teacher preparation programs that prepare a high number of candidates of color.
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.
|
MEETS SOME 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: |
North Carolina invests in the Teacher Assistants Reimbursement Pilot Program (TAs to Teachers), which assists teacher assistants who want to pursue a college degree that will result in teacher licensure.
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 .
North Carolina shows no evidence of meeting this standard.
Therefore, the state earned a red in this category.
North Carolina created the Future Teachers of North Carolina to encourage high-achieving high school students to consider teaching as a career.
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.
North Carolina requires educator preparation programs to report the direct and ongoing service the institutions provide to the state’s public schools throughout each school year.
However, the state should invest in partnerships between districts and teacher preparation programs with the focus of attracting candidates of color to diversify the educator workforce. For an example, 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.
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MEETS ONE OR NO REQUIREMENTS
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: |
North Carolina shows no evidence of meeting this standard.
The state should invest in high-retention pathways to teaching, including residency models and alternative certification programs that traditionally support and develop teachers of color. For an example, see California’s investment in residency programs that recruit, develop support systems for, provide outreach and communication strategies to, and retain a diverse teacher workforce.
North Carolina shows no evidence of meeting this standard.
The state does not provide professional learning opportunities for teachers of color to grow their leadership abilities, nor does it invest in pathways to leadership opportunities for teachers of color. For an example, see Massachusetts’ investment in diversifying the superintendent pipeline.
North Carolina provides a three-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.
North Carolina shows no evidence of meeting this standard.
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 North Carolina state ARP plan, the SEA wrote that it had developed a new teacher recruitment website, and that a proposal was in place to coordinate recruitment efforts within the SEA..
No other investments to note or the state education agency did not respond to questions about investments.
Other Federal Investments to Note: No other investments to note or the state education agency did not respond to questions about investments.
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:
1. Allocate resources to establish and strengthen recruitment relationships between nontraditional teacher preparation programs and after-school/OST service providers.
State Actions:
Provide funding, guidance, and support for Grow Your Own (GYO) programs, which traditionally attract candidates of color
- North Carolina invests in the Teacher Assistants Reimbursement Pilot Program (TAs to Teachers), which assists teacher assistants who want to pursue a college degree that will result in teacher licensure
Investment in partnerships between districts and teacher preparation programs, particularly minority serving institutions, to ensure targeted hiring
- North Carolina requires educator preparation programs to report the direct and ongoing service the institutions provide to the state’s public schools throughout each school year.
2. Increase investments in scholarships, loan forgiveness opportunities, and tuition reimbursements for teacher candidates with after-school/OST experience, with a particular focus on candidates of color and participants in
GYO programs.
State Actions:
Investment in scholarship and loan forgiveness programs to attract students of color into teacher preparation programs
- North Carolina does not invest in scholarships and/or loan forgiveness programs to attract students of color into teacher preparation programs.
3. Adopt statewide guidelines and invest in supports for nontraditional teacher preparation pathways that include teacher licensure test preparation, and at least one year of mentor teacher support and coaching before
participants enter the classroom as teachers of record.
State Actions:
Adopted rigorous program approval standards for teacher preparation programs to recruit and graduate candidates
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- North Carolina does not have any program approval standards that compel programs to recruit and graduate candidates of color. America’s P-12 students: Providers must demonstrate that their programs meet this standard to become accredited.