Seeking Solutions

There are immediate steps that state leaders can take to improve teacher and school leader diversity and strengthen public education in New York. To learn more about the following recommendations, including examples of promising practices already happening in New York, read the full See Our Truth report.

Strengthen the educator preparation pipeline for future teachers and school leaders of color

  • Require diversity data collection, use, and transparency for educator preparation programs
  • Require educator preparation programs to improve diversity and strengthen program components that prepare all teaching and administrator candidates to educate all groups of students
  • Expand the Teacher Opportunity Corps grant program, which recruits and supports historically underrepresented and low-income teaching candidates
  • Strengthen relationships between school districts and teacher preparation programs, including through the expansion of “Grow Your Own” initiatives
  • Expand career pathways through targeted strategies and innovative alternative certification pilots
  • Encourage “quality sustained clinical practices” — including residency programs and other field work — that provide opportunities for teaching candidates to gain intensive, structured classroom experience

Read more about these recommendations in the full See Our Truth report.

Improve recruitment and hiring at the school district level

  • Collect and use data to examine school district recruitment, interview, and hiring practices
  • Provide state-level oversight and transparency
  • Encourage school boards to signal and embrace the importance of teacher and school leader diversity
  • Question and change recruitment practices to identify additional qualified applicants of color
  • Address implicit bias in the hiring process

Read more about these recommendations in the full See Our Truth report.

Focus greater attention on retention, support, and career advancement for educators of color

  • Improve the working environment for teachers of color
  • Create and support cohorts of teachers, assistant principals, and principals of color
  • Invest in mentorship and career ladders for current and aspiring teacher, school, and district leaders

Read more about these recommendations in the full See Our Truth report.