Last month, we released A Broken Pipeline, which analyzed the “teacher prep diversity gap” and its implications for public education. We found a that enrollment in teacher prep programs is significantly less diverse than public school students in almost every state. If those gaps aren’t closed, we'll never have a teacher workforce that looks like the students they serve.
Since the report’s release, we’ve received a lot of feedback from people wondering how they can help to solve the problem. So we’re excited to release a tool to help. Below, you can access a spreadsheet that shows the diversity of every teacher preparation program in the country compared to the average diversity of public school students in that program's state. (As we explain in the report, we focused on the percentage of enrollees and students who identify as white to account for people who declined to identify their race/ethnicity—we can say with confidence that each program is at least the listed percentage white.)
Look up any institution you have a relationship with—your alma mater, your employer, one in your community—and if you think they need to do a better job recruiting teacher candidates of color, write an email using the template below. Then, please let us know who you contacted so we can keep track and follow up.
Thanks so much for your interest in this report and this issue, and as always, don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or would like to discuss.
1) Click here to access the list of programs, and search for the one you're interested in.
2) Go to the program's website to find contact information. The Dean is a good place to start.
3) Send an email using our email template below.
4) Keep us posted by filling out this quick form:
Dear [NAME],
As an [ALUM/COMMUNITY MEMBER/EMPLOYEE] of [COLLEGE NAME], I wanted to express my disappointment at the fact that our teacher preparation program is whiter than [STATE'S[ student population.
According to federal Title II data, the program is [INSERT %] white. For comparison, the statewide student population is [INSERT %] white.
Diversifying the teaching profession should be at top priority for everyone in public education—and teacher preparation programs have an especially important role to play. As TNTP describes in their recent report, research clearly shows that all students benefit from having teachers of color, and students of color benefit most. Students with the same race as their teacher are more likely to complete high school and go to college, less likely to be suspended, and more likely to be referred to gifted and talented programs. For Black students, having just one Black teacher in elementary school can improve life outcomes. Working to diversify teacher preparation is an important step you can take to support students of color and work against systemic racism.
I hope you work to address this problem promptly. Thank you for reading.
Best,
[NAME]
