Why is Teacher Diversity Important in Schools? An Exploration on Teacher Diversity in America
There are several reasons why it is crucial to have diverse teachers in the American school system. First, it is important to remember that everyone has a unique perspective based on their life experiences, culture, and heritage. By integrating teacher diversity into the school system, students will receive a well-rounded education, comprised of many different perspectives and experiences. According to the Branch Alliance of Educator Diversity, studies even show that students who are taught by diverse educators have improved academic and social-emotional development. Also, by learning from a diverse range of teachers, students will learn to develop flexible thinking, which will positively impact their quality of life.
Teacher Diversity & Equity in Schools & Why Diversity in School Teachers Matter
There are many ways schools can incorporate equity for educators to provide a diverse academic experience for students. According to Jorge Valenzuela from Edutopia.com, systemic change in schools starts with having those 'difficult conversations' that are necessary to make changes happen. Valenzuela also suggests that school administration needs to encourage everyone to participate in the conversation, regardless of their ethnicity or background. It is important to incorporate all perspectives into a new policy so everyone feels comfortable. Also, active listening to others' perspectives is just as important as showing up for those conversations. It's one thing to be physically in the room with others to discuss systemic change, but it is also about hearing the information that is being discussed.
Other great tips from Valenzuela include, 'listening from your heart (as well as) speaking from your heart?' Again, this honesty is going to ensure that every educator in that particular school is comfortable and prepared for the potential changes to incorporate equity for teachers. Lastly, there has to be a certain level of trust between educators, suggests Valenzuela. All people need to feel that they can express their honest opinion without fear of their information being scrutinized or spread throughout the school, further contributing to a divide in educators. Whether it's a different race, color, ethnicity, experience, age, sex, or sexual orientation, all educators can contribute a unique and valid perspective on ways to incorporate systemic change in schools.
Teachers of Color & Why Diverse Teachers Matter
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 'people of color' is defined as 'a person whose skin pigmentation is other than and especially darker than what is considered characteristic of people typically defined as white'. As stated above, having teachers of color is important in schools so students can obtain a well-informed experience. Unfortunately, there are several schools that do not have educators of color, nor do they have teachers with diverse backgrounds. This can be harmful to students because they may not observe an accurate presentation of reality. More specifically, if students are only taught by educators with the same background, they would not learn from different perspectives and experiences that are necessary to understand the world around us. According to the Department of Education, '82% of educators in public schools were white' in the schoolyear 2011-2012. This is the latest information provided by the Department of Education, which poses a problem in it itself as the public is unaware of the breakdown of diverse educators in American schools today.
Preparing Diverse Educators
School administration in each state needs to be proactive in preparing their employees to be diverse educators. There are several things school administrations can do to prepare their teachers. First, it will be important to start a conversation about diverse educators. It may be necessary for school administration to determine their ratio of diverse educators to educators with similar experiences before meeting with their staff. Once this is completed, the administration can then discuss these statistics with their staff to then discuss ways to improve diversity in their educators. As Valenzuela stated above, it is important that everyone gets involved in the conversation, speaks up about their honest opinion and viewpoint, and listens carefully to the other viewpoints in the room. These meaningful conversations will determine the tasks needed to be completed in order for educators to become diverse as well as culturally inclusive. A great way for educators to become diverse in the education system is by allowing time to embrace diverse experiences. This will only help educators to understand how others think, behave, and operate on a daily basis.
Improving Educator Diversity & Teacher Diversity
There are several ways people can get involved in improving educator diversity. According to Prodigy, below are the several ways teachers can begin improving educator diversity in the classroom:
Review current teaching materials and make adjustments as necessary to include different cultures, races, backgrounds, socioeconomic statuses, languages, etc.
Interact with your students on a regular basis and truly get to know them. Their unique perspective is exactly how to build diversity in the classroom.
Talk about inequality in the classroom on several occasions.
Reach out to students' families and the community to discuss, learn, and develop diverse traditions for everyone.
Incorporate learning that everyone can engage in. There are several types of learning styles, and it's important that everyone is able to understand the curriculum.
School administration needs to hire a diverse selection of educators. This is the simplest way to incorporate diversity in schools.
Create as well as attend continuing education opportunities that are centralized around diverse topics.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is diversity important for teachers?
Based on information from the Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity, diverse educators, meaning teachers with diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, and experiences, are crucial for students to improve on both academic and social-emotional development.
How diverse is the teaching profession?
According to the Branch Alliance on Educator Diversity, over 40% of schools in the United States do not have a person of color teaching classes in their building. Several Minority Serving Institutions, along with the Albert Shanker Institute, are researching ways to improve teacher diversity in grades kindergarten through 12th grade on a daily basis.
Why is it important to have diverse teachers?
According to the Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity, studies suggest that students who are taught by a mix of diverse educators are positively impacted, showing improvement in academic and social-emotional development. These skills are important for students to persevere in their lives.
Why is teacher diversity important?
According to the Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity, teacher diversity is important so students can further develop their academic skills as well as their social-emotional development. These skills are crucial for a well-rounded life and career.
Why does diversity matter in education?
Diverse educators are important so students can be taught through different academic lenses and learn about different experiences. Every culture, ethnicity, and race has a different perspective on different topics taught in schools, and it is important for students to hear from all perspectives to develop flexible thinking.
Expert Answers to Common Questions about educator diversity
How can student teachers get the most value of their teaching experiences in terms of determining which age groups, subjects, and types of school would be a fit for them?
How do you help your students best prepare to pass their teacher certification exams?
What classroom management or instructional strategies may be helpful for prospective and new teachers to learn more about?
What is one piece of advice you wish you had when you were working to become a teacher?
Which classroom management strategies may be the most helpful for prospective and new teachers to learn more about?
Why did you decide to pursue the education field?
You can read their biographies and answers below:
Cristian Aquino-Sterling
Associate Professor and�Director of International Affairs
Cristian Aquino-Sterling holds a BA in Western Philosophy (Fordham University); a MA in Hispanic Cultural Studies and Literatures (Columbia University), and an Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction (Arizona State University). His current research focuses on (a) curriculum and instruction for 21st century societies in light of significant contemporary national and international challenges and exigencies, and (b) implications for teacher education. Dr. Aquino-Sterling serves as Editor of the Curriculum and Instruction Development subject area of the Journal of Global Education and Research. With Dr. Mileidis Gort and Dr. Belinda Bustos Flores, Dr. Aquino Sterling is editor of Innovative Curricular and Pedagogical Designs in Bilingual Teacher Education: Bridging the Distance with School Contexts (Information Age Publishing, 2022).
How can student teachers get the most value of their teaching experiences in terms of determining which age groups, subjects, and types of school would be a fit for them?
If possible, a future teacher should obtain at least some experience in a variety of classrooms (K-12), even if he/she/they is particularly drawn to teach at the early childhood, elementary, middle, or secondary level. This will create possibilities to choosing wisely. If the plan is to teach at the secondary level (single subject), then one should consider both one's love for and ability in a particular discipline or subject. For example, I love biology, but I was not as good in it as I was in Spanish linguistics or literature; fields of study I also love! In regards to selecting a school, there are so many to choose from. One of the most important advice I received was to make sure I new the mission and vision of schools I was applying to (I worked mostly in private schools) and how it aligned with my own vision of teaching and learning. Some schools pay better than others, and this was also something to consider.
How do you help your students best prepare to pass their teacher certification exams?
Teacher educators need to have a strong knowledge of teacher certification exams. The ideal scenario is to create activities that resemble those of the tests... I am not suggesting we teach to the test -- although test-specitic workshops and study sessions are also needed -- but that we teach in ways relevant to the test students will take in as much as teachable moments allow us to do!
What is one piece of advice you wish you had when you were working to become a teacher?
The call to teach is not an easy one. It has multiple demands on one's life at both personal and professional-academic levels. In as much as we prepare academically and professionally, we also need to prepare physically, emotionally, and spiritually for the work of teaching. I wish I had read Palmer's "The Courage to Teach" early on....
Which classroom management strategies may be the most helpful for prospective and new teachers to learn more about?
Teachers are called to create welcoming, humanizing, and effective classroom communities where all students feel and know they belong and are cared for. At times positivist/behaviorist approaches to classroom management can fall short of these worthy goals. New approaches to classroom management guide teachers beyond the "punishment and reward" paradigm to promote a restorative justice and radically inclusive classroom community!
Lisa Simone Kingstone
Associate Professor in Educational Foundations, Montclair State University
Lisa Kingstone is an Associate Professor in Educational Foundations at Montclair State University, an interdisciplinary scholar interested in questions of race, identity and belonging. She received her B.A. from Barnard College, her M.A. from Columbia University and her PhD from the University of Massachusetts.Kingstone explores questions of identity by examining how we fashion narratives about ourselves in order to belong. But she is also interested in the more drastic forms of identity masquerade such as passing in terms of race, gender, sexual preference, dis/ability, and class in order to survive physically and psychologically. Her book Fading Out Black and White: cultural ambiguity in American culture (Rowman & Littlefield, 2018) explores the contemporary construction of race in an increasingly multi-ethnic, racially ambiguous, and culturally fluid country. Currently, she is working on a mixed methods study of the first class in 1968 (of which she was a member) to be voluntarily integrated from kindergarten through high school in Berkeley California . She is tracing how this experience affected the childrens ability to socially integrate across racial lines and how it helped form their adult identities.
What classroom management or instructional strategies may be helpful for prospective and new teachers to learn more about?
I have found short videos, really short 2-4 minutes, to be very provocative for students. I show them something a short satiric sketch commenting on racial justice, a seemingly innocent interview that exposes othering or a snippet of a great interview from an influential writer or leader. We watch it together and then discuss right after. This generation has been raised on videos and immediately engage. Then you can follow with conversation or introduce a written text while they have the images in their heads. It's also a great way to show how differently we all interpret what we see.
What is one piece of advice you wish you had when you were working to become a teacher?
You can't engage every single student every single class. And it's not always about you--sometimes they are exhausted, have things going on in their personal lives or don't feel well. I used to always take it personally, if they weren't all totally bright eye and attentive, but when I talk to them, it's never what I thought. One student who always fell asleep told me "I love your class, but I am up very late with my job and just can't stay awake."
Why did you decide to pursue the education field?
I love communicating what fascinates me. What could be better than sharing what you think is life changing or thought provoking and then spending time discussing it. I find no matter how much I have studied something, when I teach it from the beginning at an elementary level, I understand it at a much deeper level thanks to my students and their questions or confusions or insights.
