42% of the nation's public schools have no minority teachers.
(National Center for Education Statistics)
America's schools are suffering from a critical shortage of minority teachers. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, about one-third of public schools students are members of racial or ethnic minority groups, but minority teachers make up only 13.5% of the workforce. In fact, 42% of the nation's public schools report having no minority teachers at all.
Furthermore, the National Education Association predicts that the number of minority teachers will shrink to 5% in the early part of this century, even as minority enrollment grows to over 50% of the student population. The problem is particularly acute in low-income and urban areas, where minority students are making up an increasing proportion of the most high-risk students. Minorities make up 69% of total enrollment in urban school districts, but only 36% of the teaching force. Increasing the number of high quality, minority teachers is an essential element of closing the achievement gap.
(Sources: National Education Association, National Center for Educational Statistics, The Brookings Institute, Council of the Great City Schools.)
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