Diversifying the Teaching Force: An Examination of Major Arguments

Abstract

Over the past two decades, the short supply of teachers of color in elementary and secondary public schools has drawn the attention of policymakers and educators alike. To address the widening cultural chasm between teachers and their students, a variety of initiatives that aim to recruit people of color into teaching have been launched. Little attention has been paid, however, to articulating a research-based rationale for increasing the diversity in the ranks of teachers. This gap in the professional literature renders ongoing teacher diversity efforts vulnerable given the emphasis placed these days on research-based evidence in making decisions regarding the proper use of limited public resources, including funding for education. The purpose of this article is to address the noted gap in the literature. From an extensive review of the literature, we identified three major arguments for diversifying the teaching force and assessed the extent to which they are validated by empirical research. The results are reported, and implications of the findings for research and practice are discussed.

Identifying Personal and Contextual Factors that Contribute to Attrition Rates for Texas Public School Teachers

“…Perhaps, they encompass a more collective culture, greater sense of community, and greater commitment to social justice (Flores, Ek, & Sánchez, 2011;Villegas & Irvine, 2010) than younger White teachers. These results also may relate to school diversity, as teachers frequently report a stronger desire to work in schools with greater student and teacher diversity (Kane & Orsini, 1999).…”

Hispanic-Serving Institution Scholars and Administrators on Improving Latina/Latino/Latinx/Hispanic Teacher Pipelines: Critical Junctures along Career Pathways

“…Cherng and Halprin (2016) state the importance of having a diverse teaching force to help "close longstanding racial achievement gaps," "to form strong ties with students," and "to empower youth of all racial/ethnic identities" (p. 417). In their extensive review of the literature, Villegas and Irvine (2010) provide empirical studies supporting the assertion that "students of color accrue academic benefits when taught by a same-race teacher or when exposed to a teaching force…that is racially/ethnically representative of the student population" (p. 180). They further assert that "teachers of color use their insider knowledge about language, culture, and life experiences of students of color to improve their academic outcomes and school experiences" (Villegas & Irvne, 2010, p. 185).…”

Speech-language pathologists as determiners of the human right to diversity in communication for school children in the US

“…The demographic imperative highlights the issue that public school students in the United States primarily experience White education professionals who are more likely to uphold and reinforce dominant culture practices (Villegas & Irvine, 2010). The democratic imperative focuses on the challenges of schools in the United States to meet the complex educational needs of students of colour (Harry & Klingner, 2014).…”