There are certain circumstances that make it especially difficult for diverse candidates to succeed in the teaching profession. Minority students in the United States tend to be less successful in school, for various reasons, and nearly half of these children are living below the poverty line. Many qualified candidates are attracted to other more lucrative, and more prestigious careers, in areas like business, science, or math. Many minorities are drawn to the teaching profession, however, and financial considerations can be major issue for these students. A recent study stated that “scholarships or loan forgiveness might very well determine whether or not a student can pursue a college degree (Minority Teacher Recruitment, Development, and Retention, The Education Alliance at Brown University, 2004).” John Brooks Slaughter, Ph. D., also cited this problem in his recent discussion of the issue, saying that “the high price of attendance and correspondingly low levels of financial aid will discourage many, particularly those first-generation college-goers from low-income families. It has been estimated that a $1000 shift from grant to loan has as much as a 17% negative impact on retention for minority students.”

Studies also suggest that even within the “teacher pipeline” there are special difficulties for minorities. Several studies have found a disproportionate rate of attrition for minorities within this pipeline, starting in high school. One problem is a possible bias in testing procedures. One study found that “traditional ways of evaluation can be biased against minority teachers because of cultural and linguistic differences.” There is also a common perception of racism in these institutions, and diverse scholars often feel marginalized. The same paper said that “studies on the experiences of minority teacher candidates have suggested that teacher preparation institutions do not value these students.” The authors also found that fear of racial discrimination within the profession is an issue for these candidates. A lack of cultural and social support groups for diverse teachers can be another problem (Brown University, 2004).

Recruitment and retention of diverse teachers can also be a problem. A recent study cited the “isolation and lack of support that minority teachers experience when they enter the profession” as a major issue, and suggested establishing a system of social support or mentorship for these teachers (Brown University, 2004). Another study found that “minorities see themselves as outsiders in a predominantly white profession (The Need for More Ethnic Teachers: Addressing the Critical Shortage in American Public Schools, Teachers College Record, September, 2000).” For effective recruitment, researchers have recommended identifying specific target populations from which to recruit possible candidates, and “developing a strong marketing and outreach campaign,” as well as providing “support services for participating students,” and financial incentives. School-to-college partnerships have also been effective (Brown University, 2004).

The VTDSP has been partnering with Vermont institutions for higher education since 2001 to support Scholars from diverse backgrounds in a number of ways. In addition to the loan forgiveness component of our program, our staff and board members are also available to help mentor up and coming teachers, and helps to connect them within districts who are trying to diversify their staffs. The Vermont Teacher Diversity Initiative has also been working closely with the Burlington School District this past year as it makes serious and substantial changes to the way recruitment and hiring processes are undertaken.

Information for this post was based on the following sources:

Minority Teacher Development, Recruitment, and Retention, The Education Alliance at Brown University, 2004

Diversity and Equity in Higher Education: A New Paradigm for Institutional Excellence, John Brooks Slaughter, Ph. D. 2004

Recently, while researching the topic of racism in rural public schools, we came across a paper published by the University of Maryland called “Racism in the Public Schools: A Model for Change.” Contained within it is a discussion of two conferences conducted with public school educators focusing on the experience of race in their school districts. William Sedlacek and Glenwood Brooks, the authors of the study, suggest a model for change aimed primarily at “white oriented institutions, or in essence…the bulk of the education system.” The surprise we found? This paper was published in 1973, with themes so current and relevant it’s as if it was written yesterday.

Participants at these two conferences were described as “overwhelmingly white.” Nationwide, the homogenous character of school faculties may have become less true in the years that have followed. However, it is certainly still the case in Vermont, as documented in our recent Educator Diversity Survey, which indicates that over 99% of Vermont teachers and administrators are white.

Sedlacek and Brooks describe race-related educational problems as “often hard to pinpoint, difficult to work with and highly emotional,” which remains the case here in Vermont in 2010. Assertions made by both the consultants at the conference and by the participants remain true today, such as “most white teachers are not prepared by background or training to work with most of the black students they encounter,” and “understanding cultural and racial differences and designing educational experiences and reinforcing in that context is crucial to any education.” Culturally competent recruiting and hiring processes are still nearly absent in Vermont. Sedlacek and Burns also mentioned the tendency for teachers to have lower standards and expectations for black students, and how this is a detriment to all students. When we met with Veronica White, an African-American teacher at South Burlington High School, we heard of this same problem in our institutions today. Ms. White said that African-American males are especially affected, and are often described in teacher preparation programs as “expected to be a problem.” She believes these problems stem from a gap in achievement, and says that many claim “it doesn’t matter who is put in to teach them.” She sees educators approach these children with the attitude that they can’t learn, but believes that intervention is necessary and can definitely be effective.

Other additional social problems discussed in this paper are also still relevant. One point that was emphasized repeatedly was that results, and not intentions, are the most important component. This notion is crucial because, as the authors say, “most racism is unknowing or unintentional,” and that “everyday practices of teachers, administrators, and policy makers could be detrimental to blacks, regardless of intentions.” Many of the participants in the study would not acknowledge this, even after confronted with the results of a survey that revealed their unconscious racist attitudes. The authors state that “the epithet ‘I treat everyone exactly alike’ was heard often,” which we also witnessed in our recent Educator Diversity Survey. Sedlacek and Brooks reported “participants were very heterogeneous with some having knowledge of racial issues and others who had never before dealt with the topic. This was particularly true in the smaller conference where participants from schools with no black students viewed the session much like a class in medieval history. That is, it was of academic interest but they felt it of no practical use to them.” We saw similar problems from Vermont educators in our recent survey. Respondents seemed to dismiss the issue of race, saying things like “many folks from a diverse background wish to stay and serve the children in their own communities,” “we may be too rural to attract applicants of diverse backgrounds,” “there isn’t very much cultural diversity within our immediate vicinity,” “we are in Vermont. There are few to none minority applicants that apply,” “we have barriers to recruitment,” and “our communities are very small and rural.” 91.7% of the districts said that “our community is too isolated to offer the wide range of cultural activities that teachers and administrators with diverse cultural backgrounds find appealing.”

Sedlacek and Brooks also stated that many participants were uninterested in the existing cultural competence materials (of the time), reporting that they “are available but often sit on library shelves.” This is a problem, according to the study, because “[since] most of the society is run by and for whites, racism is primarily a white problem. Unless whites are able to change individually and collectively through institutions, white racism is likely to remain.” They make the point that “whites must initiate and ‘carry the ball’ in working on their own racism.” The authors make other recommendations for these problems that could be effectively put into practice in Vermont today. They assert “the nature of prejudice and racism should be taught at all educational levels. This is particularly crucial for young whites,” and that “black culturally relevant content should be an integral part of the regular curriculum and not isolated as black week,’ etc.” They also state that “effective recruitment of black administrators and teachers” should be practiced, “the institutionalized practices which keep blacks from applying must be overcome,” and that “experience with and understanding of race relations should be required for hiring and promotion.”

Nearly all of the issues addressed by this paper are still shockingly relevant, despite the fact that nearly 40 years have passed. The paper’s authors acknowledge that change can be a slow process, but we ask: are several decades truly necessary? We can still learn from many of the authors’ recommendations. We ought to put them into practice swiftly, and not delay or deceive ourselves any longer.

The VTDSP is currently in the process of sending out our first annual appeal letter since 2004. Over the past 18 months, we’ve been working to put ourselves in a solid position to conduct the most effective fundraising that we can. We’re hoping that our appeal helps to groom and grow our body of supporters, and helps to spread the word about the good work that we do. We’re very grateful to have the ongoing support of Vermont’s 73rd Governor, Phil Hoff (1963-1969), who has been a tireless advocate for  diversity and inclusion. His efforts during those tumultuous times focused on creating learning opportunities for minority and white students alike, and encouraging Vermonters to consider the benefits of embracing diversity and working towards equality for all.

In his letter, Governor Hoff emphasizes that learning to interact in a culturally diverse world is crucial to each and every student’s success as a 21^st century learner and citizen. Community often begins in the classroom, and for many children may constitute the first active participation in an ongoing social structure outside the family. The vision of community that the classroom provides can shape a child’s ideas and expectations about equity, cooperation, and citizenship.

We’re grateful to have Governor Hoff as a board member emeritus and a longtime supporter of the VTDSP. We applaud the work of Governor Hoff both then and now, and for being a visionary for equality throughout his lifetime.

Please join Governor Hoff in his support for the VTDSP. Your tax-deductible contribution will help to assure that Vermont’s public school students are exposed to the talents of capable teachers from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Racially-motivated bullying in the small town of Eden exemplifies that cultural competence and teacher diversity aren’t just issues for the “big cities” of Vermont. Last year, when we reached out to the administration at the Lamoille North Supervisory Union, we were rebuffed and asked for “data and research to support the value of teacher diversity” (which is easily found on our website, or at the very least, but the simplest of internet searches). Perhaps this first hand experience might fit the bill?

Click here to view the video.

Parents in the Burlington School District say the school had promised more diversity, but that has not happened.

WPTZ Channel 5 ran this story over the weekend featuring Stephanie Seguino, Burlington parent and member of Diversity Now, and Sherwood Smith who both a Burlington parent and a VTDSP board member.

Click here to view the video.

Click here for a related story in the Burlington Free Press about the candidates who have been recommended for the Principal positions.

A growing topic of interest in education literature relates to the benefits of diverse teachers and classrooms for white “majority” students. The evidence for concrete academic benefits is difficult to articulate, due to a general lack of study and empirical research (The Benefits of Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 2006), but none of the literature suggests any kind of academic drawbacks for mainstream students, and the social benefits are widely agreed upon.

The literature stresses diverse teachers’ abilities to act as cultural translators, or brokers, for both majority students and teachers. One research study reported that “sensitivity to different cultures is a key characteristic in being effective in urban, diverse schools” (Minority Teacher Recruitment, Development, and Retention, The Education Alliance at Brown University, 2004), like the diverse student bodies of Burlington or Winooski. This cultural competence, and the associated lessons on ethnic, racial, and cultural diversity, is neglected by legislature like the No Child Left Behind Law (Assessment of Diversity in America’s Teaching Force: A Call to Action, National Collaborative on Diversity in the Teaching Force, 2004), despite its increasing importance for 21^st century learners. A recent briefing of the U.S. Commission of Civil Rights (U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 2006) echoed many of these same themes. The authors cited research that showed that “racial and ethnic diversity in elementary and secondary education promotes cross-racial understanding, breaks down stereotypes, and enables students to better understand persons of a different race.” The authors also describe how experience with classroom diversity resulted in a “greater desire to live and work in multiracial settings,” among students, which could benefit students in more isolated communities here in Vermont.

Several studies also stress the diverse life experiences that minority teachers bring to the classroom, and the advantages this has for all students. One study (Excellence Through Diversity: Connecting the Teacher Quality and Teacher Diversity Agendas, Segun C. Eubanks & Reg Weaver, 1999) found that diverse teachers are more likely to “incorporate social reform into their teaching,” for example, and tend to “bring diverse life experiences and perspectives that improve the quality of education for all students.” The same study discussed the advantages of this exposure to cultural diversity for the multicultural national context. The literature also mentions the “contributions to curriculum, material and teaching” (Diversity and Equity in Higher Education: A New Paradigm for Institutional Excellence, John Brooks Slaughter, Ph.D., 2004), that these teachers make, which all undoubtedly benefit the majority students involved.

For more information please see below:

http://www.usccr.gov/pubs/112806diversity.pdf

http://www.alliance.brown.edu/pubs/minority_teacher/minteachrcrt.pdf

http://jhuaa.org/bin/u/x/john-slaughter-presentation.pdf

http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/mf_diversityreport.pdf

64% of respondents state their district has a "moderate level of awareness" related to diversity recruitment

100% of districts reporting indicate no strategies in place to address diversity recruitment and retention. (Note: Only Burlington has remedied this since first responding last summer)

Few districts allocate any resources toward diversity recruitment and retention

Despite these numbers, 64% of the respondents reported at least a “moderate level of awareness” when asked about the need for diversity in our teaching and administration workforce. Of the 13 districts with zero full-time racially or ethnically diverse teachers, 69.2% declared this same level of awareness. Also, despite this stated level of awareness, 89% of all of the districts have allocated no designated resources for diversity recruitment, and 100% reported that “no strategies are being used” to recruit teachers and administrators of diverse backgrounds. Additionally, 70% have no written policies or procedures to guide the recruitment process of diverse teachers and administrators, while 20% reported being “unsure” about any policies.

In June of 2009, the Principal at the South Burlington High School, Patrick Burke, contacted the VTDI. Patrick invited us to meet to talk about a “project” he was envisioning.

When we all sat down together, Patrick outlined for us his concerns about the lack of diversity in his school’s workforce, and made specific mention of the ways in which he felt young men of color in particular were negatively impacted by this fact. He went on to explain that he had two openings in his English department for the coming year, and expressed an interest in piloting a joint effort to specifically recruit for a teacher of color to fill at least one of these slots.

The VTDI worked out a plan with SBHS under which we helped to determine which of the more than 120 applicants for the English teacher jobs were from a diverse background. SBHS granted appropriate permissions to VTDI staff in order to access the applicants and their information on Schoolspring.com, and VTDI staff started by going through the list of names to determine if we recognized any as educators with whom we were already working.

As a quick contextual sidebar, it’s important to know a few things. First, Schoolspring.com is the primary online source for education professionals to seek out potential opportunities in Vermont. Second, at this time, information about an applicant’s race or ethnicity was a double opt-in proposition: the school district would have to make the effort to specifically request it, and the applicant would have to consent to provide it. Meetings with school administrators around the state during that time indicated that most of them did not even realize that they could request the information. Third, in this time period during which SBHS requested our assistance, the VTDI was sponsoring a banner ad on Schoolspring.com that appeared 100% of the time at the top of each search results page. In other words, if an applicant searched for a job in Vermont, 100% of the time they would have the opportunity to see our banner ad at the top of the search results page. This advertisement included our name and logo, along with text that read: “The Vermont Teacher Diversity Coordinator is working to create solutions to address Vermont’s lack of educator workforce diversity, and can help connect applicants with school districts for which diversity has been identified as a priority.” By clicking ‘learn more’, applicants were directed to the VTDI page on our website, and this action generated consistent traffic and over 150 contacts and inquiries from applicants, from both throughout the US and abroad.

Upon reviewing the applicant list for the SBHS position, VTDI staff could identify only two names on the list. As a next step, an email was sent to every applicant with the following message:

Greetings,

Recently you put in an application for a teaching position in a particular school district in Vermont. As part of ongoing work with the Vermont Teacher Diversity Initiative, this district is working with us in order to identify a robust applicant pool that very deliberately seeks out candidates from diverse racial or ethnic backgrounds.

If you feel that you fit this criterion, and would like to identify yourself as such for consideration as a diverse candidate in this district, I will ask that you respond to this email at your earliest convenience.

If you do not fit this criterion, no response is necessary.

Thank you for your time.

With kind regards,
Jim Woodard
Executive Director and Statewide Diversity Coordinator
Vermont Teacher Diversity Scholarship Program | Vermont Teacher Diversity Initiative

Following this effort, the VTDI received approximately 25 responses. These included questions or confusion about what was being asked, as well as questions about our interest in other categories for diversity (e.g., ability, gender, sexual orientation). We also received a few responses from applicants taking what appeared to be a defensive posture, including assertions about “reverse discrimination.”

In mid-July, the VTDI provided SBHS with a list of the names of the individuals who had responded to our outreach. We included each person’s response to the email (sometimes lightly paraphrased) and allowed SBHS to make the final determination as to whether or not the person’s assertion of racial or ethnic diversity was in line with their hiring objectives. Three of the individuals who were on this list were offered opportunities to interview.

Among those who responded and were subsequently interviewed was Ms. Veronica White. Veronica had been teaching in Washington, DC for the 2008–2009 school year, and was living back in Ohio with family at the time of her interview. Ms. White interviewed via “Skype” with the full interview team.

Ms. White easily emerged as the strongest contender, and was offered the position soon thereafter. She began her position at South Burlington High School at the end of that same summer.

Recently, we were delighted to have the opportunity to sit down with Veronica in the English department office at South Burlington High School. She is finishing her first year of teaching there, and described her time as the “best experience of [her] career.” She discussed the influence of the staff and students in making the experience so positive. South Burlington uses a mentoring program for new teachers, pairing them with an established staff member to help them get acclimated, which she described as especially helpful. Ms. White embraces technology in her progressive approach to teaching, and the South Burlington school district’s commitment to technology makes this possible. Ms. White is very interested in reading intervention programs, and discussed using Kindles, class web pages, and a social networking program called Shelfari to augment these programs. She also mentioned the benefits of using online programs for ELL students. Another unconventional but effective approach she embraces at South Burlington is in teaching an English and Humanities “fusion” class, integrating history into the classes’ lessons on literature. For example, she currently teaches a class on African literature, and pairs the reading of Things Fall Apart with discussions on ancient African history. She does this as a complementary effort with one of the school’s history teachers, and describes it as a “good model for the kids” for building both their knowledge and skills sets. Ms. White also stressed the quality of the students in South Burlington, and was pleasantly surprised by how friendly and welcoming they were, and by the amount of extracurricular activities in which they are typically engaged. She also emphasized the social support she was given by the parents and staff, as well as others in the community. She briefly discussed her experience as an African-American woman moving into a predominantly white community, but did not articulate any specific difficulties after arriving in Vermont.

She also talked about race in teaching, and some of the problems she had seen in teaching programs’ attitudes towards African-American males, who were “fully expected to be a problem” and approached with the bias that they “couldn’t learn.” Veronica went on to say that despite this being “personally offensive” to her, she did recognize that it may at times represent an “unfortunate truth.” “It does matter who you put in there,” Ms. White stated. “People approach these kids with the attitude of ‘you can’t learn’ and with that, they’re making a choice to let those kids fail.”

Ironically, though not surprisingly for Vermont, Ms. White has not had any African-American students this year. The benefit of having this talented, motivated, and truly engaging educator – who also brings a diverse face to the school’s faculty – is largely being realized by students who are white.

On Saturday, March 13th, the Vermont Teacher Diversity Initiative was proud to support the diversity recruitment efforts of the Burlington School District in New York City. Heavy, heavy rains were falling that morning, accompanied by gusting winds all throughout the Big Apple. By 8:30am, VTDI and BSD staff had completed a rendez-vous at the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott where the event would take place – VTDI Director Jim Woodard and BSD Equity Education Specialist Mercedes Mack both hopping the C train from Chelsea and the lower east side respectively, while BSD Director for Diversity & Equity Dan Balón had flown from  BTV to JFK early that morning. BSD staffers Bonnie Johnson-Aten (Principal, Edmunds Middle School), Jeanné Collins (Superintendent), and Sara Jane Mahan (Director of Human Resources) had arrived late the evening prior, and had stayed onsite.

We worked quickly to get our table set up – a linen-draped front to an 8×8 booth – tacking up the VTDI banner, listings for potential BSD job openings, spreading out our array of hospitality gifts that included BSD highlighters and hand sanitizers (big thanks to Stephanie Philips, BSD’s Curriculum Coordinator, for donating these items left over from last fall) and an enticing basket of Lake Champlain chocolate squares. Maps, position listings, and guides to Vermont covered our table.

Bonnie Johnson-Aten, Dan Balón, and Sara Jane Mahan in our recruitment booth at the start of the day

Jeanné Collins and Mercedes Mack chat in the interview area just before the event began

After setting up, we had a short orientation from the organizers of the event, and by the official start time of 10:00am we were prepped, caffeinated, and ready to meet some candidates. As part of the recruitment event package, we were also designated a separate breakout space where we could interview appropriate candidates who might be interested in positions in VT. It was decided that Jeanné and Bonnie would conduct interviews while Dan, Mercedes, Sara Jane, and Jim would work the table and talk with potential candidates.

Applicants and recruiters mingle

Despite the very foul weather outside, the event had an excellent turnout. Quickly, we found ourselves talking to potential applicants and talking up the benefits of living and working in the Burlington community. Interview spots with Jeanné and Bonnie filled quickly, and as we shuttled resumés from the recruitment table back to the private interview space it was fantastic to see so many diverse teachers and administrators from around the country here in NYC looking for work.

Mercedes talks with a candidate

The day went by FAST! Jeanné and Bonnie interviewed more than a dozen applicants, and returned to Burlington late Saturday with a stack of resumés and some very viable candidates. Dan Balón characterized the day as an “awesome experience” and expressed his pleasure that we “…got people interested, learned some things, and can really leverage our time in future recruiting events.”

Dan Balón

This event was paid for by the Vermont Teacher Diversity Initiative, and the only cost to the Burlington Schools were the modest travel expenses for their staff members. The VTDI made this opportunity available to all Vermont school districts, and only Burlington seized upon the opportunity, illustrating that there is still much work to be done in Vermont when it comes to a true commitment to diversifying our educators.

If you’d like to learn more about this annual event, or our participation in it, please contact us.

John Brooks Slaughter, Ph.D., the President emeritus of the distinguished Occidental College (which counts Barack Obama as an alum) presented a convincing argument for the diversification of higher education to the Diversity Leadership Council Conference at Johns Hopkins University.

Mr. Slaughter argues that the most important element of an inclusive learning community is a more diverse and representative faculty and administrative staff. The minority population of the country is rapidly increasing, but this diversification has not been reflected in our colleges and universities. One of the major problems in creating a more diverse staff at these institutions, according to Mr. Slaughter, is their tendency to overlook the specific financial and socialization needs of these groups. He says that “the high price of attendance and correspondingly low levels of financial aid will discourage many, particularly those first-generation college-goers from low-income families. It has been estimated that a $1000 shift from grant to loan has as much as a 17% negative impact on retention for minority students.” Since many qualified minority candidates come from a more disadvantaged financial background, this situation is clearly problematic, and contributes to the lack of ethnic representation in the faculty of our colleges and universities. As of 2004, minorities made up less than 5% of the faculty at our research and graduate level institutions, and this figure shows no sign of improving. Mr. Slaughter goes on to say:

“The poor record of success in producing diverse faculties in our nation’s colleges and universities is due to many factors. They include the inadequate K-12 preparation received by racial minorities and the economically disadvantaged who are concentrated in many of our poorest and lowest achieving urban schools. There is a higher dropout rate for many of these same students and lower levels of entrance and progression in college and graduate school.”

Mr. Slaughter also cites arguments discussing the benefits of a more diverse faculty, saying that it helps to support particular groups of students and provide an encouraging symbol for them, and improves the institution’s curriculum and learning experience in our diverse society. He goes on to say that these efforts should be central in our ongoing efforts to improve our education system, and that a college or university should provide “all of its students with a total educational experience of the highest quality; one that prepares them for life in a world that has become increasingly complex, pluralistic and interdependent.”

More here: http://jhuaa.org/bin/u/x/john-slaughter-presentation.pdf