As many parents are being聽forcefully聽reminded during the COVID-19 crisis, teachers are profoundly important to our students鈥� success. Primary and secondary school聽teachers wield enormous聽influence聽on聽a student鈥檚 life-long relationship with learning,聽and they聽are聽integral to a student鈥檚聽achievement, both academically and聽throughout their聽life.聽For many of us, the teacher who took the time to really see us, believe in us, or even help us get back on track was responsible for changing our lives.
All聽students benefit from聽having聽teachers that represent the full spectrum of our society, but for students of color,聽representation in the classroom聽is particularly important.聽Yet far too many students of color go to schools with little diversity among the faculty. In Washington鈥檚 public schools, only 11% of teachers come from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) communities compared to almost 40% of their students.
That鈥檚 why I鈥檓 so excited about a聽recent $6 million anonymous gift to the University鈥檚 College of Education to聽bolster diversity聽in the education workforce. This is聽a transformative investment in聽BIPOC聽teachers,聽and聽the countless students whose lives they will聽change.
By expanding recruitment and financial support for BIPOC teacher candidates,聽as well as providing support for newly credentialed聽graduates as they begin their careers, this聽forward-looking gift aims to create a more diverse workforce聽鈥� and聽the dividends聽will聽be significant. Black, Indigenous and Latinx students are underrepresented in gifted programs聽and other聽learning聽opportunities聽that lead to聽students聽being college-ready by the end of high school. Research shows that exposure to even one teacher who looks like them can improve a student鈥檚 success in聽their聽K-12 schools.聽
So much of what we urgently need to accomplish to increase equity聽in all walks of life聽begins in the classroom, where teachers are the catalysts for聽student achievement. Removing obstacles 鈥� including financial barriers 鈥� to聽developing a diverse educational workforce聽will聽create an聽impact that will be felt for generations to come.聽