Press Release
April 12, 2011
Contact: Aaron Hunter 202-225-2040
Congresswoman Susan Davis Introduces Bill to Increase Diversity Among Teachers
WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) today introduced legislation to increase diversity among America’s teaching ranks. The Diverse Teachers Recruitment Act would help establish programs to recruit new male teachers and teachers from minority groups into the profession.
“It is worthwhile to bring teachers from underrepresented groups into our classrooms,” said Davis, a member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee. “The current lack of diversity leaves some students without an inspiring role model to whom they can relate. A more diverse teaching force could enhance the public school system and the experience of students.”
During the 2007-2008 school year, an estimated 7 percent of teachers were African American, 7 percent were Latino, and 1.2 percent were Asian, according to the Department of Education. More than 83 percent of teachers were white. In the overall numbers, over 75 percent of teachers were female and only about 24 percent were males.
Educators have linked higher dropout rates among African American students to the lack of African American male teachers in the school system.
Davis’s bill would provide competitive grants to school districts to design and implement recruiting programs to bring teachers from underrepresented groups into the classroom. The Department of Education would analyze the programs and disseminate which were effective in recruiting minority teachers. Successful results could be replicated in other school districts.
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