Category Archives: Diversity Resources

Articles and research on diversity in education

State Teacher of the Year: ‘Representation Matters’

Kim King, Connecticut’s 2022 state teacher of the year, speaking to a diverse group of future teachers, shared her personal perspective as a Korean American on the need to increase the diversity of the educator workforce in Connecticut.

Kim King, 2022 CT Teacher of the Year

Ms. King, an art teacher in Mansfield, spoke to more than 100 students attending an Educators Rising conference. The program provides classes and clinical experience to encourage high school students to pursue careers in eduction. Central Connecticut State University hosted the virtual event.

Following are excerpts from her remarks.

Feeling Hopeful

“Seeing so much diversity in our pre-service educators gives me hope. I went through elementary, high school, college, and graduate school without ever seeing a teacher who looked like me.

“This lack of representation was especially damaging because I’m an inter-country, transnational adoptee, which means I grew up outside of my race and culture. I grew up in a white family where I learned it was ungrateful to ask about being adopted or even being Korean. I was their kid. End of story.

“However well intentioned, it was extremely misguided. I was forced to shape my identity of what it means to be Asian in America based on inaccurate depictions in the media and commonly held stereotypes from the adults around me.

“I carried for the first part of my life shame in my identity. I didn’t see myself reflected in the American experience, our country’s history, or even my school. But hopefully, the next generation of students will see themselves reflected in their teachers and in the content being taught in their classrooms.

“Representation matters. It is critical during a time when some states are limiting their educators’ ability to teach the truth.

Teaching Is an Act of Hope

“Who we are – our histories, our experiences – all inform who we will be as teachers. Teaching is a radical practice. It is an act of hope. Whether you consider yourself an optimist or not, teaching is the ultimate act of optimism.

“You have to believe that what you are doing will impact future generations. You have to have faith that the seeds you are planting today will bear fruit years from now. Otherwise, why teach?

“Teaching is fundamentally about connections and the profound impact a relationship can have on a student. It is the small gesture or words that stick with a student long after the memories of a lesson have faded. It is making a student feel seen, heard, and empowered that matters.

Students at 22 high schools in 19 cities and towns are participating in Educator Rising, which provides coursework and clinical experience to students to encourage them to pursue careers in education.

Connecticut Laser-Focused on Educator Diversity

Since 2017, school districts in Connecticut have hired more than 1,900 educators of color, surpassing the goal set by the State Board of Education in its five-year strategic plan.

According to the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE), a wide range of evidence supports the benefits of a diverse educator workforce. Benefits include gains in student achievement as well as lower dropout rates and higher college admissions.

Multi-Pronged Approach

Since achieving its goal, the CSDE has been implementing a multi-pronged approach to further diversify the educator workforce in the state’s public schools. Key initiatives include the following:

A Guidebook for Hiring and Selection prepared by the CSDE provides support and guidance to help school districts increase the racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversity of their educator workforces. 

An Enhanced Educator Certification Reciprocity Policy streamlines the processing of certification of educators who hold valid and active out-of-state certification. This is expediting efforts to recruit diverse, high-quality educators from Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia. 

NextGen Educators gives undergraduate educator candidates the opportunity to work in school districts to gain valuable experience and gives districts immediate access to new talent while addressing staffing shortages.

Educators Rising introduces middle- and high-school students to careers in education. In the 2021-22 school year, the program has nearly 500 students enrolled in clubs and courses in 22 schools in 19 mostly urban districts, which have high numbers of students of color. 

The Male Educator Network (MEN) initiative, a subset of Educators Rising, focuses solely on young men of color with an interest in careers in education. Currently, there are two pilot sites located at E. Hartford High School and New Britain High School.

TEACH Connecticut supports aspiring educators with free, one-on-one support, financial aid resources, information on educator-preparation programs, and more. In year three of the program, TEACH CT supported more than 500 applicants, 41 percent of whom identify as people of color and 39 percent of whom want to teach in a subject shortage area.

Connecticut Troops to Teachers aims to address teacher shortage areas, increase the number of male teachers of color, and reduce veteran unemployment.

The Minority Teacher Recruitment Policy Oversight Council is developing strategies to attract middle- and high-school students to careers in education, encourage college students of color to enroll in educator-preparation programs, recruit educators from other states, and more. 

Virtual Career Fairs are held in partnership with Regional Education Service Centers (RESCs). Invitations are sent to certified teachers of color who are not currently teaching, recent graduates of Connecticut educator-preparation programs, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and Hispanic-Serving institutions. 

RESC Regional Consortia enable diverse local educators to convene and develop workforce diversity plans that address attracting, recruiting, hiring, supporting, and retaining educators.

The EdKnowledge Online Repository hosts promising practices and models of success to retain educators of color. 

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Educational Pathway for Future Teachers of Color

Connecticut is seeing results from the Teacher Residency Program, which the state launched in 2019 to increase educator diversity.

Gov. Ned Lamont recently met with state and local officials at an elementary school in New Britain to celebrate the program, one of numerous initiatives in Connecticut to bring more teachers of color into the state’s classrooms.

New Britain Superintendent Nancy Sarra welcomes Gov. Lamont and other state officials to Northend Elementary School.

“I think our schools are great. . . because we celebrate our teachers,” he said. “We love our teachers. We let our teachers teach, and we show the respect we need to generate and attract the next generation of teachers. “

Pathway to Teacher Certification

The Teacher Residency Program provides a pathway to teacher certification to individuals with bachelor’s degrees, many of whom are working in schools in non-certified roles, such as para-educators.

These individuals take college courses for 18 months (summer and evenings) and work for one year side-by-side with a mentor teacher while earning pay and benefits. They become eligible for a full-time, elementary teaching position in a partner school district upon completing the program and certification requirements.”

Program Is Growing

The program began in 2020 with 11 residents, including Blacks, Latinos, and mixed-race individuals. Since then, the class has grown to well over 40 residents including Blacks, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, whites, and mixed-race individuals serving in several schools.

“The data says all children in this country learn better when they’re taught by a diverse teaching population,” said State Senator Douglas McCrory. “So, if we want to be one of the best states in this country or educating our children, we need to follow the data and make sure we diversify our classrooms.”

As of the 2023-2024 school year, over 11 percent of the state’s public-school educators were persons of color. State leadership wants to make more progress as students of color account for over half of the state’s public-school students.