College of Education

Graduate Studies

ELL / bilingual education

Department of Teaching & Learning

The Need for Teachers of Color
in Washington State

Before reading on, think for a minute how many minority teachers you were taught by throughout your education.

How many did you have?

 

Why the need?

Washington schools are in need of minority teachers for several reasons:

  • To serve as role models for children of all ethnic & cultural backgrounds.
  • To help represent Washington's student minority population. There are significant disparities between the number of teachers of color and those of students of color.
  • To create school communities that reflects the values of our pluralistic society.
  • Teachers of color bring with them an inherent understanding of the backgrounds, attitudes, and experiences of students from certain groups and therefore can help inform majority teachers on effective ways and means to communicate with students of color.

 

What can be done to help recruit students of color into the education field?

  • Offer financial incentives, including scholarships and forgivable loans to attract talented students of color into teaching.
  • Establish outreach programs designed to reach students of color while they are in middle school and high school.
  • Target recruitment programs for students of color, ranging from college-based efforts to national campaigns.

 

What can Washington State colleges do to recruit future teachers of color?

  • Require all state colleges to visit a minimum number of high schools with the following three objectives:
    1. Encourage students of color to attend college.
    2. Encourage students of color to attend their specific college.
    3. Encourage students of color to consider their college of education.
  • Require every state college to establish a recruitment program such as WSU's Future Teachers of Color Program.
  • Provide scholarship programs for teachers of color under the condition that they work in a specified school district for a set number of years.

 

How can today's teachers help?

  • Encourage students from diverse backgrounds to volunteer and tutor in lower grades.
  • Utilize mentorship programs that encourage students of color to seek higher education, teaching in particular.
  • Incorporate a wide variety of diverse role models as guest speakers in the classroom.

Estimated Statistics

Nationally
  • 14% Teachers
  • 35% Students
    are minority students
Washington State Schools
  • 5% Teachers
  • 15% Students
    are minority students
Nationally
  • 8% African American
  • 3% Hispanic
  • 1% Asian
  • 1% Native Americanare represented by classroom teachers
  •  
Nationally
  • 97.3% of teachers in public schools only speak one language

 

For More Information:

Rationale

As future educators ourselves, we felt it was important to provide information regarding the need for minority teachers in our public schools. The population of teachers of color is projected to decline while the population of students of color is projected to dramatically increase in the years to come. We see this as potential disaster for the youth of our society. Teachers have traditionally held a position of high esteem in communities of color. Many minority cultures have historically seen education as a doorway to professional, social, and economic opportunities. The representation of these cultures in the classroom is necessary in helping these students unlock the door.

 

Contributed by

Class of T&L 333 Spring, 1999

David, Kristen, Mandy, and Jenell

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More info

For detailed information on program requirements and application procedures, contact:

Office of Graduate Studies

gradstudies@wsu.edu
252 Cleveland Hall
(509) 335-7016 or
(509) 335-9195

College of Education, Cleveland Hall, PO Box 642114, Washington State University, Pullman WA 99164-2114, 509-335-1738, Contact Us