Richard de Meij. Img source: Youtube.com
April 30, 2024 Story by: Editor
In the face of K-12 education budget constraints and a progressively diverse student body, local leaders advocate for policy and societal shifts to better support teachers of color statewide.
Last Tuesday, a panel of education specialists convened at the Legislative Office Building to examine effective strategies and hindrances affecting Black and Brown educators in particular.
Connecticut boasts a student body of 275,000 students of color, constituting 54% of the total enrollment, alongside 54,000 multilingual learners conversant in over 145 languages. Presently, educators of color comprise 11.7% of the state’s teaching cohort, a notable increase from 8.3% in 2016.
Commissioner of Education Charlene Russell-Tucker emphasized the significance of diversifying the profession. “It’s not merely about representation; it’s about the tangible impact on educational outcomes,” she asserted.
Dr. Rebecca Good of Relay Graduate School of Education highlighted a glaring discrepancy: while the state’s student-of-color population has surged by 17.6% since 2009, the growth in teachers of color has lagged, increasing by a mere four percent over the same period.
Encouragingly, recent data indicate progress. Within four years, a thousand teachers of color have entered the workforce, eclipsing the gains made in the previous decade by 597 educators.
Richard de Meij, World Languages and Culture Educator at Hartford Public Schools, and Jason Teal of NAACP Connecticut pinpointed assessment barriers like the Praxis II and edTPA as impediments to aspiring teachers.
Teal critiqued the relevance of such tests: “Antiquated assessments like these don’t gauge effective teaching. Mid-career transfers present a viable pathway to diversify the teaching force, yet arbitrary hurdles impede progress.”
De Meij, Connecticut’s 2019 World Language Teacher of the Year, recounted his arduous journey to certification, citing bureaucratic hurdles and financial strain.
Long-term solutions, speakers stressed, necessitate comprehensive support for educators, encompassing financial incentives, emotional backing, and social recognition. De Meij underscored the importance of valuing teachers’ contributions and amplifying their voices to foster retention and professional fulfillment.
