California’s Shortage of Diverse Teachers Is Hurting Students, Educators Say

When Lindsey Horowitz, a special education teacher in Los Angeles, made the career switch from nonprofit work to teaching, she knew it wouldn’t be an easy job.

Horowitz, like many educators of color, entered the profession because she did not see enough teachers who looked like her when she was in the classroom, throughout her K-12 education. But California, the second-most diverse state in the U.S. after Hawaii, is struggling to retain its educators, especially teachers of color.

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According to a 2022 survey by the National Education Assn., Black and Latino educators were likely to quit the profession earlier than expected due to lack of career support and poor working conditions.

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She and other teachers, advocates and education policy experts met in Sacramento this week for the #CABuildingBridges Summit to discuss how to recruit and retain teachers of color in California. {snip}

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At the summit, educators spoke about the lack of diversity in teacher preparation programs and at schools. According to a 2022 survey of more than 4,600 teachers by the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools, educators reported experiencing high levels of work-related stress, with 40% saying they’ve considered leaving the profession and 20% saying they will probably leave within three years.

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Students of color are at a disadvantage if they don’t have teachers who resemble them, educators at the conference said. In California public schools, about 77% of the K-12 population is made up of students of color, while educators of color account for 37% of teachers.

Studies show that teachers of color serve as mentors and role models and increase the academic outcomes of students of similar backgrounds.

“We don’t need more data to tell us how important it is for students to have a teacher that racially identifies like them in the classroom,” said Kai Mathews, project director of UCLA’s California Educator Diversity Project. “It’s important to their sense of belonging, to their understanding of the material and the world around them.”

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“If we’re not able to provide an environment where this career is tenable, we won’t be able to retain the numbers that we want,” Mathews said. “We want to provide racial equity so that we’re not just asking teachers of color to come into education, but we’re actually creating an environment where they’re respected, have a sense of belonging, and can thrive.”

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Laura McGowan-Robinson, founder of the Diversity in Leadership Institute, said recruiting administrators of color is vital to maintain a diverse teacher workforce.

Data show that more than 70% of public school principals in California are non-Hispanic white.

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