Teacher Recruitment should Address Financial Burden of Degree Requirements, Classroom Trauma
Recruiting Teachers of Color in Minnesota
– by Lauren Slagter
Thomas’s earliest impressions of teachers were shaped by his father, who taught math for 53 years at the middle school and high school level before becoming an adjunct college instructor. On days he was off school as a kid, Thomas* recalls visiting his father’s high school algebra class, answering questions from the back of the room.
But Thomas has less positive associations with school too. He struggled with reading in elementary school and didn’t get the help he wanted. He felt singled out as the only Black person in an accounting class, when his teacher told him he wasn’t going to make it through the class. Thomas said negative school experiences may prevent more people of color from pursuing a career in teaching.
“How many people like to go back to their trauma? We all had bad experiences with teachers,” he said. He pointed to the financial burden of earning a teaching degree and continuing education as another deterrent.
The Saint Paul Urban Teacher Residency program aims to address the challenges that Thomas highlighted through its affordable, 15-month program where participants earn a master’s degree and a Minnesota teaching license from University of St. Thomas. SUTR recruits teacher candidates who have similar life experiences as Saint Paul Public Schools’ diverse student population.
Recruiting and Retaining Teachers of Color
Minnesota needs more Black teachers. Only 1.3% of Minnesota teachers are Black, according to the 2023 Biennial Report on Supply and Demand of Teachers in Minnesota, compared to 11.4% of students. Ideally, the racial diversity of the teacher workforce would match the diversity of the student body, but overall, 40% of Minnesota students are people of color, compared to only 5.9% of teachers in 2021-22 school year.
Research shows that positive outcomes like finishing high school and attending college are more likely when students have even one teacher from their racial or cultural background during their first years of education. All students learn more when they interact with a racially and culturally diverse set of teachers.
Email Yes@ElevateTeaching.US to share your ideas for the best ways to recruit and retain teachers of color and join the Elevate Teaching movement to celebrate teachers and change the narrative about the profession.
*Name changed. This story was shared at an Action Network to Elevate Teaching event.
