Sometimes measuring impact is tough, but when it comes to a diverse educator workforce, the benefits are clear. Research shows that when students of color are taught by teachers of color, those students are more likely to graduate high school, go on to college, and feel mentored and supported throughout their educational journeys. Yet in California, where students of color are 80 percent of the student body in our schools, only 38 percent of teachers are teachers of color. Fortunately, the state’s new Cradle-to-Career (C2C) Data System will include a Teacher Training and Retention Dashboard, providing basic data on teacher training programs and retention that can help to inform the state’s improvement efforts in its educator workforce. And a bill proposed in this year’s legislative cycle would ensure the dashboard includes additional information on numerous state programs that will be crucial to state efforts in recruiting, retaining, and learning from the experiences of teachers of color.
With the more comprehensive picture that data can provide, California leaders now have an opportunity to address years of alarming data on student outcomes and boost student achievement by prioritizing diversifying the teacher workforce. With data that offers timely, accurate insights on teacher demographics, teacher preparation and training, and which courses teachers are assigned to teach, state leaders can answer key research and policymaking questions, including:
- Which credential pathways produce teachers of color who stay in the profession longest?
- How do teacher retention and attrition compare across teacher demographics?
- What factors contribute to greater turnover rates for teachers of color?
Answering these questions and more with data in the C2C Data System will enable state leaders to build a comprehensive action plan for developing and sustaining a high-quality, culturally competent, diverse educator workforce. Research has found that educators of color are much more likely to work in high-need schools—which are often under-resourced, have less desirable working conditions, and have larger proportions of low-income students and students of color—and tend to leave the profession at higher rates than their white peers. With actionable data on teacher diversity, policymakers, researchers, and education system leaders can better identify and address targeted supports that help educators of color to remain in the profession – an increasingly critical need given the state’s teacher shortage. EdTrust-West’s research tool, the TAMO Data Dashboard, shows what’s possible when individuals can look at important data on teachers in the state.
The interactive tool allows users to see where teachers are assigned to teach courses they aren’t fully prepared to teach– and shows that low-income students and students of color, particularly Black and Latinx students, are more likely to be taught by an underqualified educator.
To ensure the C2C Data System includes the full breadth of data necessary to evaluate existing teacher training programs, address the teacher shortage, and create a teacher diversity plan that can help boost student achievement, Senator Susan Rubio introduced Senate Bill 1391 (SB 1391). The bill, sponsored by Teach Plus and Voters of Tomorrow, is not only supported by EdTrust-West, but it’s also featured in our “Equity 8,” the list of bills we identify each year that are the greatest opportunities to advance educational equity and justice in California. SB 1391 isn’t cost-heavy and would add crucial components to the C2C’s Teacher Training and Retention Dashboard, including outcomes from the Golden State Teacher Grant Program and Teacher Residency Grant Program, as well as trends on teacher training pathways, teacher credentialing, teacher placement, teacher diversity, teacher retention, and more. While the current plans for the C2C’s Teacher Training and Retention Dashboard are a good first step, Senator Rubio’s bill ensures stakeholders have access to critical data needed to evaluate the effectiveness of existing training programs and better understand how best to invest resources and improve educator workforce issues.
As California progresses on its longitudinal data system and teacher pipeline dashboard, advocates and state leaders should keep in mind the indispensable role of educators of color in enhancing the learning environment for students, staff, and school communities alike. A robust C2C Data System can play a crucial role in making sure the state’s Black, Latinx, Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native American students – who are the majority in our state’s classrooms – have access to the teachers they need to support their success and close opportunity gaps they’ve experienced for far too long. Join us in supporting these efforts for students and teachers of color by signing up for important updates, resources, and advocacy tools, and checking out the #TeachersWeNeed Campaign and #Data4ThePeople Coalition, initiatives dedicated to building and sustaining a diverse teacher workforce through data-driven solutions.
