Diversifying the Education Profession in Ohio: Brief and Taskforce Recommendations

Overview & Synopsis

While students of color make up more than 30% of Ohio's student population, many students will graduate high school without ever having a teacher of color. Teachers of color comprise only 5% of Ohio's teaching workforce, and similar disparities persist in other education professions including educational aides, principals, and superintendents. Furthermore, the number of minority candidates enrolling in teacher preparation programs has steadily declined while the proportion of students of color increases annually, which means these disparities are likely to grow. In 2018, the Ohio Department of Education formed a Diversity in Education taskforce to study this issue and make recommendations. The taskforce--which was comprised of approximately 40 individuals from K-12 education, institutes of higher education, the State Board of Education, the Ohio Department of Education, the Ohio Department of Higher Education, and local communities--met over the course of three meetings. The taskforce examined educator workforce data to identify gaps, conducted a root cause analysis, and identified strategies to address the root causes. The taskforce identified three primary gaps that should to be addressed to diversify Ohio's educator workforce: (1) Attracting individuals to the field of education: The taskforce highlighted Grow Your Own programs and branding the education profession as two strategies to help increase proportion of ethically and racially diverse students enrolled in educator preparation programs; (2) Preparing and retaining individuals in the field of education: Strategies should span the educator career continuum including mentoring and onboarding supports specific to educators of color along with professional learning related to culturally responsive practice and school climate; and (3) Empowering change: While individual schools and districts may feel powerless to making meaningful changes, opportunities to collaborate with others expand the reach and impact of change efforts. For example, schools and districts could partner with existing networks that support educators of color or attend regional convenings with other Ohio educators to examine equity data and brainstorm solutions.