Photo courtesy of Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency for EDUimages

The racial imbalance between U.S. students and their teachers is stark: 80% of all K-12 teachers identify as white, while more than half of students identify as students of color. The lack of teacher diversity presents the field with an urgent problem, but one that states and districts can address right now.
The influx of federal COVID-19 recovery funding, now in the billions of dollars, is an opportunity for states and districts to not only create a more diverse teacher workforce, but also an environment where teachers of color can thrive and remain in the classroom. As states submit their recovery spending plans to the U.S. Department of Education, they have a chance to set this in motion through innovative recruitment and retention strategies. 
In Window of Opportunity: How States and Localities Can Use Federal Rescue Plan Dollars to Diversify Their Teacher Workforce, Andy Rotherham and I outline a range of policies and solutions that states and districts can implement with federal funds to diversify teachers in the classroom. 
Now is the time to build a high-quality teacher corps that reflects the tapestry of America. Let’s not let this opportunity slip away.

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