Developing Teacher Diversity in Early Childhood and Elementary Education

The REACH Program Approach

Stephen T. Schroth, Jason A. Helfer

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN:
  9781137591791
• eBook ISBN:
  9781137591807
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Early Childhood Education

This book explores the effects of the REACH program (Recruiting and Enlightening through Access to and Communication with High-need schools), a seven-year initiative devised to help find, attract, and prepare diverse teacher candidates interested in working with young children. The book analyzes how the program, set at a national liberal arts college in the US, used the three R's: recruitment, retention, and recognition, to successfully draw in diverse educators for young children who then go on to became leaders and role models in their schools and communities. Chapters examine ways to provide the academic, social, and enrichment supports necessary for diverse teacher candidates and identify current teacher education practices that are effective as well as opportunities for change.

© The Author(s) 2018

Stephen T. Schroth and Jason A. HelferDeveloping Teacher Diversity in Early Childhood and Elementary Educationhttps://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59180-7_1

Begin Abstract

1. Lack of Diversity in the American Teaching Force

Stephen T. Schroth¹ and Jason A. Helfer²

(1)

Early Childhood Education Department, Towson University, Towson, MD, USA

(2)

Illinois State Board of Education, Springfield, IL, USA

But the principal defect in our plan of education in America is the want of good teachers in the academies and common schools . By good teachers I mean those of unblemished reputation and possessed of abilities competent to their stations—Noah Webster, 1790

End Abstract

For at least a half century, experts have warned that the population in American public schools “is changing.” When one examines the children who make up the students in the US classrooms, it might be better to argue that the population “has changed.” Indeed, the student population in American public schools now serves majorities of children who are members of what has historically been termed ethnic and racial minorities and who live in poverty . Many of these children are English learners, and over 25 percent of students enrolled in American public schools have at least one immigrant parent. Over the course of the past 30 years, the student population served by schools has become rapidly diverse. Greater diversity has, of course, taken place in urban areas and cities near the Mexican border. Schools that have traditionally served a very heterogeneous student population, however, have also diversified quickly. While these changes have taken place, the American teaching force has remained largely white and female , especially in the lower grades. Indeed, as the student population in schools has become more diverse, over the past 15 years, the percentage of teachers working with those children have become more white and more female .

If the percentage of computer programmers, or neurosurgeons, or accountants were over 90 percent male and Caucasian , one suspects that critics of that would be (with good reason) angry, adversarial, and accusatorial. The great overrepresentation of women in early childhood and elementary education classrooms, however, barely occasions comment, let alone any sense of indignation or outrage. Some of this reaction is triggered, no doubt, by an acceptance of conditions as they are (i.e., perceptions that teaching is a low-paying, low-status profession ), a willingness to accept the status quo perhaps caused by failed recruitment efforts or initiatives that attempted to bring more diverse teacher candidates into the pool. What is important, it seems, is not that one necessarily achieves immediate success with reasonable and thoughtful recruitment efforts or initiatives designed to increase the diversity of the US teaching force, but instead that programs keep trying even if earlier initiatives are unsuccessful. A careful examination of the demographic information related to both teachers and the children they serve often helps to build consensus regarding the importance of these efforts.

It was “Institute Day,” held every October by the College. On Institute Day all classes were canceled, and departments and programs offered programs for current or prospective majors. Into a small classroom, 38 students were crowded on a gray autumn morning. Some still looked half asleep, and many were resentful they had been forced to attend. Of the 38 gathered that day, 37 were white and 4 were male . When the department chair dismissed the secondary education majors about halfway through the program, only 14 students remained, all women , all white . The department chair continued speaking, not looking at the students, and discussed the course schedule for the remainder of the year. One student was asleep. All were dressed in sweatpants or tee-shirts. Several looked hungover. Still not looking at the students, the department chair announced, “You’ll be student teaching one year from now. So we expect you to get it together.” After that she dismissed the elementary education students, who filed out of the room slowly.

After the students had left, the educational studies faculty remained in the room, pulling some chairs into a circle to have a brief meeting before the day was done. The two new hires sat next to each other. They were the only males in the room. They were also the only two members of the educational studies faculty who possessed teaching credentials and had been teachers in the public schools , one in Los Angeles, the other in Dallas. “You two will teach all of the elementary methods classes in the spring,” the department chair announced. “It’s easy,” proclaimed another colleague. “They’re not the sharpest knives in the drawer. That’s who goes into teaching. Keep ‘em working and you’ll be okay,” emphasized another. All were reminded of the teacher advisory committee meeting that was scheduled for the following week. After this, everyone stood. The meeting was now over. All of the veteran faculty left for the parking lot—it was 11:50 a.m., and they were done for the day. The two new hires remained behind. “This has to change,” said one.

Demographics Related to America’s Teaching Force

The elementary and secondary school teacher workforce in the United States is not especially diverse. Since the 1960s, school administrators have struggled to increase the number of teachers of non-Caucasian ethnicities working in the classroom. Despite these efforts, teachers who work with children mostly resemble the teaching force that worked during the mid-twentieth century. Statistics gathered by the United States Department of Education (USDoE) indicate that over 82 percent of public school educators are white , a percentage that is substantially greater than that of Caucasian students being served by the public schools (Policy and Program Studies Service 2016). While this does represent an improvement from the 1987–1988 academic year, when approximately 87 percent of teachers in the United States were white , the change has not kept up with the transformation of the student population they served. Change in the racial and ethnic diversity of the teaching force has been slow and, in some instances, non-existent for the nation as a whole. In many areas of the United States, these percentages indicate that no change at all has occurred.

There have been some positive changes related to the number of non-Caucasian teachers working in American public schools . Over the period between 1987 and 2012, the percentage of teachers who were Asian increased from 1 percent to 2 percent, and those of Hispanic background increased from 3 percent to 8 percent of the total teacher workforce. Unfortunately, over this same period the proportion of black teachers fell from 8 percent to 7 percent, which failed to match the increase in the African American student population during this time. The number of black and Hispanic teachers serving in Head Start and preschool programs is considerably higher than that serving in Kindergarten through twelfth-grade classrooms. This difference, however, comes with a caveat, as the data related to teachers in Head Start and preschool programs is over ten years old and because teachers with degrees and teaching credentials are lumped with those who have neither.¹ Teachers of color also are grouped disproportionately in those schools that serve high numbers of children living in poverty . While the teaching force in American public schools serving a low-poverty population is comprised of 92 percent white , 3 percent black , and 3 percent Hispanic teachers, those serving high-poverty students are 63 percent white , 16 percent black , and 17 percent Hispanic . Black and Hispanic teachers are also much more likely to serve children of color than that of white students.

Principals are also mostly white , although there is more diversity among those administrators who are relatively new to their positions. In 2003, approximately 82 percent of principals in the United States were white , while this number had shrunk to 80 percent a decade later. Over this same time period, the percentage of Hispanic administrators had grown from five percent to seven percent, but the number of black principals had decreased from 11 percent to 10 percent. Progress was seen in the number of new administrators from racially diverse backgrounds. For example, while 84 percent of experienced principals were white , only 77 percent of new administrators identified as Caucasian . Similarly, while only 5 percent of experienced administrators were identified as black and 5 percent of veteran principals were Hispanic , these numbers increased to 11 percent and 8 percent, respectively, for new principals. While these numbers still leave much to be desired, they do indicate that school districts are trying to diversify the administrative corps—again, since attempting to diversify is one of the more important aspects of change, this is to be commended.

When considering the demographics of the American teaching workforce, it is also crucial to consider those individuals who are in the “pipeline” to become teachers. In 2000, 70 percent of all students enrolled in college or university were white , while 10 percent were black , 9 percent were Hispanic , and 10 percent identified as “other.” Twelve years later, the number of white college or university students represented 62 percent of the total, with black students comprising 14 percent, Hispanics 13 percent, and other 11 percent. These numbers were slightly less equitable for those seeking to become teachers. For education majors, in 2000, 77 percent were white, 11 percent were black, 8 percent were Hispanic, and 3 percent identified as other. By 2012, 73 percent of education majors were white, 12 percent were black, 11 percent were Hispanic, and 4 percent identified as other. Certainly these numbers in some ways are only representative of trends occurring in society. A smaller percentage of students of color attend college or university than do graduate from high school. While 62 percent of college or university students are Caucasian , for example, only 57 percent of high school graduates are white. Similarly, while 15 percent of high school graduates are black , only 14 percent are college or university students, while Hispanics represent 19 percent of high school graduates, but only 13 percent of degree-seeking undergraduates.

Although exact numbers are somewhat difficult to determine, gender disparities among public school teachers also make the teacher workforce non-representative. Male students make up slightly more than 50 percent of all Americans aged 18 and under, although males have a lower graduation rate from high school than do their female counterparts. This has contributed in part to the difference between female and male enrollment at colleges and universities. While 58 percent of American women between the ages of 18 and 24 are enrolled in college or university, only 42 percent of men are.² This greatly reduces the potential pool of prospective male teacher candidates, something that is especially significant when the current gender distributions are considered.

The National Center for Education Statistics estimates that there are approximately 3.6 million elementary and secondary teachers, or their full-time equivalents (FTEs), employed in the United States as of 2015. In 1988, about 30 percent of public school teachers were male , while 70 percent were female —by 2012, the percentage of males had declined to 23 percent of the total teacher population, while females had increased to over 77 percent of those working in K–12 schools. The 23 percent of teachers who are male are not, however, spread equally across grade levels. While the data is not entirely clear due to the way the USDoE tracks statistics, at the secondary level (ninth through twelfth grades), men make up approximately 40 percent of the teaching force. This means ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Front Matter
• 1. Lack of Diversity in the American Teaching Force
• 2. Teacher Education
• 3. Common Approach
• 4. REACH Program
• 5. Outcome
• 6. Conclusion
• Back Matter