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..,
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 in each state for advocates, educators, and policymakers leading this work at the state level. See how California fares.
Student Data Source: The Education Trust’s analysis of 2018-19 data retrieved from the state website
Teacher Data Source: The Education Trust’s analysis of 2018-19 data retrieved from the state website
| Race/ethnicity | Students | Teachers2 |
| Asian | 9.4% | 5.8% |
| Black | 5.4% | 3.8% |
| Latino | 54.9% | 21.3% |
| Multiracial | 3.6% | 1.0% |
| American Indian / Alaska Native | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander | 2.9% | 1.8% |
| White | 22.6% | 60.9% |
| Total Percentage of People of Color3 | 77.4% | 39.1% |
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
| Schools With No Teachers of Color | 9.1% |
| Percentage of All Students in Schools with No Teachers of Color | 3.0% |
To examine whether students have access to diverse teachers in their schools, we analyzed school-level data on teacher and student race and ethnicity. The following describes state-level findings regarding students’ access to teachers of color and same-race teachers as well as the prevalence of teachers teaching in schools with no other same-race colleagues.
For district-level data, please visit this state’s page at edtrust.org/educator- diversity.
| State Teacher Diversity Data | |||||||
| Asian | Black | Latino | Multiracial | American Indian/ Alaska Native | Native Haw./ Pac. Islander | White | |
| Percent of students attending schools with no teachers of color | 2.8% | 1.2% | 1.6% | 5.2% | * | * | 6.6% |
| Percent of students attending schools with no same-race teachers | 11.3% | 22.9% | 3.5% | 64.9% | * | * | 0.7% |
| Percent of students attending schools with >5% same-race teachers | 71.4% | 52% | 92.1% | 7.7% | * | * | 99% |
| Percent of teachers working in schools with no other same-race teacher | 12.4% | 16.6% | 2.0% | 47% | 70.4% | 36.7% | 0.1% |
| *too few students or teachers | |||||||
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 California:
| 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% | 11% |
| Percent First-Year Teachers | 7% | 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% | 10% |
| Percent First-Year Teachers | 6% | 5% |
| Disparities between Black and Non-Black Students | ||
| Black Students | Not-Black Students | |
| Percent of Students in schools with High (≥20%) percentages of Novice Teachers | 22% | 16% |
| Percent of Students in schools with High (≥10%) percentages of Uncertified Teachers | 10% | 6% |
| Disparities between Latino and Non-Latino Students | ||
| Latino Students | Not-Latino Students | |
| Percent of Students in schools with High (≥20%) percentages of Novice Teachers | 17% | 14% |
| Percent of Students in schools with High (≥10%) percentages of Uncertified Teachers | 8% | 5% |
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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MEETS ONE OR NO 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: |
California does not post information about the retention rates of educators of color on the state website.
Therefore, the state earned a red in this category. The state should include data on the retention rates of educators of color through a dashboard, on individual school reports cards, or through a statedeveloped report that analyzes the retention rates of educators of color. For an example, see Delaware’s educator mobility data dashboard.
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SHOWS IMPROVEMENT
2: Set clear goals at the state and district level to increase student access to diverse educatorsTo create actionable goals to increase the racial diversity of the educator workforce, states must: |
California set educator diversity as a public priority, especially to recruit and retain more Black teachers.
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 teachers of color in public schools by 25% in 2025.
California, under the direction of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Thurmond, established the California Department of Education (CDE) Educator Diversity Advisory Group in 2021. Led by Dr. Travis Bristol from UC Berkeley, the group provided recommendations to SSPI Thurmond on how the CDE can recruit, support, and retain teachers of color across the state. Members of the advisory group held four virtual convenings with education stakeholders, county leaders, district leaders, site leaders, and teachers of color to document how practitioners were supporting and retaining an ethnoracially diverse educator workforce, barriers faced to deepening the educator diversity workforce, and policy levers aimed at bolstering teacher diversity efforts. A series of webinars was held highlighting the recommendations from the report, which will be published in a report in 2022.
In addition, CDE staff collaborated with staff from the Region 15 Comprehensive Center and San Diego County Office of Education to form a statewide Community of Practice around diversifying the teacher workforce, which discusses best practices and the educator diversity work that is happening across the state.
Therefore, the state received a green.
California provides guidance and preparation programs to invest in strategies to increase the racial diversity of the educator workforce.
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 Program for educator preparation programs to expand and develop plans to recruit and prepare more educators of color to meet the needs of partnering with local education agencies.
California, under the direction of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Thurmond, established the California Department of Education (CDE) Educator Diversity Advisory Group in 2021. Led by Dr. Travis Bristol from UC Berkeley, the group provided recommendations to SSPI Thurmond on how the CDE can recruit, support, and retain teachers of color across the state. Members of the advisory group held four virtual convenings with education stakeholders, county leaders, district leaders, site leaders, and teachers of color to document how practitioners were supporting and retaining an ethno-racially diverse educator workforce, barriers faced to deepening the educator diversity workforce, and policy levers aimed at bolstering teacher diversity efforts. A series of webinars was held highlighting the recommendations from the report, which will be published in a report in 2022.
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: |
California has a teacher grant program to help fill positions in priority schools and high-need subject areas.
However, 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.
California does not have any program approval standards that compel programs to recruit and graduate candidates of color.
Therefore, the state earned a red in this category. 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.
California created additional ways for educator candidates to demonstrate both their proficiency in Basic Skills and their Subject Matter Competence through alternatives to high-stakes standardized exams. For Basic Skills, candidates can now demonstrate competence through coursework: For reading proficiency: a course in critical thinking, literature, philosophy, reading, rhetoric, or textual analysis. For writing proficiency: a course in composition, English, rhetoric, written communication, or writing. For mathematics proficiency: a course in algebra, geometry, mathematics, quantitative reasoning, or statistics. For Subject Matter Competence, teacher candidates can demonstrate their proficiency through either a major in the area of the credential (license) or through a coursework analysis that confirms that all domains of the appropriate Subject Matter Requirements have been covered.
In addition, the state legislature has approved the development of a performance assessment to replace the current Reading Instruction Competence Assessment (RICA) exam, which will be operational in 2025. The Commission on Teacher Credentialing has a standing Bias Review Committee that reviews all exams and performance assessment items and materials before and during implementation. Plus, the Commission is developing a one-hour implicit bias training for all calibrated assessors of the Commission-sponsored performance assessments — the CalTPA for teachers and CalAPA for administrators.
Therefore, the state earned a green in this category.
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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: |
California invested in the California Classified School Employee Teacher Credentialing Program for adults who work in schools to receive grants that enable them to complete their undergraduate education and prepare to become a teacher. In July 2021, the state appropriated $125 million to expand the program for another five years. Additionally, the California Center on Teaching Careers is an extension of the Credentialing Grant Program that supports classified staff to pursue their teaching degrees.
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.
California invested in consulting services with Inclusion Alchemy, which provided two reports that comprise an initial climate survey and recommendations for the state to move the internal DEI work forward. Led by Sabrina Coleman, Inclusion Alchemy also administered the training, “Bridging Across Differences” to all CDE managers to address specific needs. In addition, CDE formed an Equity Task Force to move DEI work forward internally, which included training with Dr. Portia Hunt & Dr. Mike Likier.
Therefore, the state earned a green in this category.
California invests in the California Partnership Academies to provide CTE to high school students interested in teaching or careers in education.
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.
California invested in articulation agreement programs between teacher prep programs and community colleges to prepare candidates pursuing paraprofessional credentials. The California state budget, signed by the Governor in July 2021, also includes a total of $350 million to fund competitive grants that support a collaborative partnership between an eligible local education agency (LEA) or a consortium of LEAs partnering with one or more Commission-approved teacher preparation programs offered by a regionally accredited institution of higher education (IHE) to expand, strengthen, improve access to, or create teacher residency programs.
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.
California has an Educator Preparation Program standard for programs to document efforts to recruit and hire a more diverse faculty.
However, California should also invest in diversifying the educator workforce in areas that influence hiring and recruitment decisions, including 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: |
California increased its funding of the Teacher Residency Grant Program in 2021 to $350 million to provide one-time competitive grants for applicants to develop new or expand existing residency programs that recruit and support the preparation of special education, bilingual education, science, technology, engineering, or mathematics teachers.
The state earned a green and is rated as a best practice in this category.
California provides professional learning opportunities in administrator training, among other areas for professional growth; State-led induction program provides mentorship for new teachers. In addition, California’s 2021 budget included $1.5 billion for the Educator Effectiveness Funds that can be used for professional learning over the next five years. The state also provided affinity spaces for leaders of color through the 21st Century School Leadership Academy to create safe spaces where open dialogue, relational understanding of daily experiences, and empowerment can occur for leaders.
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.
California 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.
California’s 2021 Educator Effectiveness Grant funds, which were distributed to LEAs, included cultural competence and anti-bias professional learning as allowable expenses. Additionally, CDE will partner with implicit bias and racial justice experts to develop resources and guidance for schools to infuse implicit bias training into existing professional development.
Therefore, the state earned a green in this category.
6: Use federal COVID-related relief funds to invest in strategies to increase the racial diversity of the educator workforceThrough 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: |
| State Actions | Investments to Date |
| State ARP Plan: California used ARP funding to establish new pathways for prospective teachers to establish basic skills and subject matter competency through coursework and upgrades to existing examinations. |
In the California state ARP plan, the SEA wrote that it has used state funds for a number of programs and initiatives aimed at increasing diversity in the teacher workforce, including teacher residency and Grow Your Own preparation programs, credential fee waivers, new pathways for prospective teachers to establish basic skills and subject matter competency through coursework and upgrades to existing examinations, and the Classified School Employee Teacher Credentialing Program, which supports classified school staff in becoming credentialed teachers. |
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:
MEETS ALL OR MOST OF THE REQUIREMENTS
Provide funding, guidance, and support for Grow Your Own (GYO) programs, which traditionally attract candidates of color
California invested in the California Classified School Employee Teacher Credentialing Program for adults who work in schools to receive grants to enable them to complete their undergraduate education and prepare to become a teacher. In July 2021, the state appropriated $125 million to expand the program for another five years. Additionally, the California Center on Teaching Careers is an extension of the Credentialing Grant Program that supports classified staff to pursue their teaching degrees.
MEETS ALL OR MOST OF THE REQUIREMENTS
Investment in partnerships between districts and teacher preparation programs, particularly minority-serving institutions, to ensure targeted hiring
California invested in articulation agreement programs between teacher prep programs and community colleges to prepare candidates pursuing paraprofessional credentials. The 2021 state budget also includes $350 million in funding for competitive grants to support a collaborative partnership between an eligible local education agency (LEA) or a consortium of LEAs partnering with one or more Commission-approved teacher preparation programs offered by a regionally accredited institution of higher education (IHE) to expand, strengthen, improve access to, or create teacher residency programs.
MEETS SOME OF THE REQUIREMENTS
Investment in scholarship and loan forgiveness programs to attract students of color into teacher preparation programs
California has a teacher grant program to help fill positions in priority schools and high need subject areas
MEETS ONE OR NO REQUIREMENTS
Adopted rigorous program approval standards for teacher preparation programs to recruit and graduate candidates
California does not have any program approval standards that compel programs to recruit and graduate candidates of color
