Educator Diversity Initiative
Recognizing the important role educators of color play in contributing to better student outcomes, this initiative aims to increase the diversity of the teacher workforce to better reflect the student population in Marin County.
What does the data tell us?
How did we get here?
- The process of attaining a teaching credential involves significant financial and time commitments
- The high cost of living in Marin makes it challenging for teachers to afford housing on their salaries
- Negative school experiences can influence perceptions of teaching as a career
- Teachers of color may experience gaps in preparation or support that affect their ability to thrive in their roles
- Clear information about educator pathway options and careers in education is not readily available to students and families
What are the Strategies?
The initiative team has determined an Educator Pathway to be a promising strategy. The vision is an organized pathway that students, paraeducators, classified staff, and community members can enter and exit at different phases on their journey to becoming a teacher. This pathway includes a series of programs, support systems, and experiences designed to meet the needs and interests of BIPOC students.
Educator Academy
Increase experience and interest for high school students interested in careers in education by implementing Career Technical Education (CTE) through Educator Academies; dual enrollment programs that support high school 11th and 12th graders in exploring careers in education while earning college credits.
“Cost Free” Undergraduate Pathway
Make the undergraduate portion of the Educator Pathway “cost free” by identifying the current funding gap, securing additional funding sources and communicating the steps to receive funding clearly and effectively to students.
Work Experience & Recruitment
Ensure prospective educators on the pathway are hired in Marin by developing partnerships between school districts and postsecondary institutions, sharing recruiting practices and creating a database to help track students moving through the pathway.
Teacher Residency Programs
Ensure that prospective educators are supported in transition from the undergraduate portion of the Educator Pathway to employment through instituting programs that provide employment opportunities in school districts while students are pursuing their teaching credential, as well as mentorship, stipends, and priority access to recruitment for permanent positions.
Data
Explore the Data
Here you will find data on the gap between students and educators of color by district/school. Initial information shown is for credentialed teacher but you can also select additional educator categories to view that information. Hover over each line to view more information about that data point (numbers and percentages).
Note that we are waiting on the California Department of Education to release updated educator demographic data (latest data: 2018-2019)
Related Resources & Stories
Lauren Camera, U.S. News & World Report
November 23, 2018
BLACK STUDENTS WHO HAVE just one black teacher in elementary school are more likely to graduate and more likely to enroll in college – and significantly more likely if they have two black teachers.
That’s the top-line finding of a working paper published this month by the National Bureau of Economic Research, in which researchers from Johns Hopkins and American University outline findings that show that black students who are exposed to one black teacher by third grade were 13 percent more likely to enroll in college. Those who had two black teachers were 32 percent more likely to enroll in college (Read More).
Dominican University of California
March 23, 2021
Itta González, a full-time graduate student at Dominican University of California who also teaches full-time at Lynwood Elementary where her two sons attend school, has had an incredibly busy life this past year. It just got a little easier.
Itta has been named a recipient of a Marin Teacher of Color Scholarship, a scholarship program designed to address the shortage of teachers of color working in Marin County’s public schools funded by a $450,000 contribution in 2019 by anonymous donors. She is one of eight TOC scholarship recipients scheduled to finish their teaching credential work this spring.(Learn More)
Career Technical Education (CTE) Pathway
San Rafael High School (SRHS) Educator Academy
Educator Diversity Data
2018-19 Baseline Results
Partners Involved
Backbone Staff Support
Brandon Johnson
Director of Educators of Color Initiative
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