Dear School Board,

Dear School Board,

It is with a lot of concern that I write this letter to the school’s board on the issue of inequality and low representation of teachers of color in the institution. Racism in the education sector of America is not a new social issue that has developed gradually with time but an already existing issue that has taken root in the country’s education system. Institutional racial bias has taken center stage in the country’s education system for quite some time in the country. Teachers of color from the minority communities and groups are underrepresented in the school. Although the school enjoys having a diverse group of students from different backgrounds, physical attributes, and races, the institution is racially imbalanced when it comes to the teaching staff. I believe that this is an issue that is more likely to affect the students’ well-being as well as their ability to feel comfortable in the studying environment provided by the institution. For many years, teachers from the African American, Latin American, and other colored communities were not employed by various institutions of learning, and this was a big disadvantage for the colored students and also the colored communities. This letter wishes to identify the issue as well as how it affects the students. Additionally, the letter seeks to provide possible solutions to the issue that could help remedy the issue and improve the learning experience in the institution.

Historically, teachers of color have always been disadvantaged and less likely to be hired by principals in the field of education. Racism and racial segregation have been one of the underlying factors as to why the issue of under-representation of colored teachers in various institutions of learning. According to an article by U.S. News, the number of teachers of color has been stagnant, “with the proportion of teachers of color ticking upwards a mere five percentage points, from 13 percent to 18 percent” (Camera 2016). The existence of segregation in schools in an existing issue that cannot be ignored but rather addressed. As such, teacher segregation is common in many schools across the country and all levels of learning. Although the Brown v Board of Education ruled in favor of ending segregation in schools and institutions of higher learning, discrimination based on color is still an existing issue that seeks teachers of color a chance to enjoy their ability to interact with learners. Apart from racism in education centers, the personal preference of the teachers also plays a factor in the low number of representations of teachers of color in the institution. Teachers of color have been noted to prefer working in schools that are more welcoming to the idea of having a diverse staff. The lack of a high number of teachers of color suggests that the institution does not provide a welcoming environment for the teachers to work in. Thus, the segregation of teachers of color in the institution is an existing issue that offers a challenge to the effective deliverance of education to learners in the country.

It is essential to note that the underrepresentation of teachers of color has a negative impact on the student’s performance. I have noted that the school is well diverse and has a high number of students of color. However, the low number of teachers of color in the institution presents a challenge that has an underlying effect on the students learning capabilities as well as their performances and attitude towards education. One of the significances of having a diverse staff of teachers in the institution is that it creates a comfortable environment for colored students to enjoy learning. The lack of teachers of color in the institution makes the students feel that they lack mentors who generally do not understand what they are experiencing outside their school life. According to a research conducted by Wells, Fox and Cordoba suggest that “dropout rates are significantly higher for students in segregated schools,” (2016 p.14). Thus, the number of students of color can drop out of school because they lack role models to look up to and direct them towards a path of success in life. The students feel they can relate to the teacher who should be able to understand what they are going through as young people of color.

A possible solution I would suggest to avert the crisis in the institution is to employ the use of selection programs that do not discriminate against any teacher based on their skin color. The programs have been designed to emphasize the academic prowess of the educator and not their ethnic background. However, it is important to note that the programs also do not factor in the college of the educator to avoid bias since most people of color lack resources or opportunities to attend IV league colleges or colleges that are known countrywide. One such program that I would recommend the institution to use is the state of Rhode Island candidate recruitment program by the Rhode Island Department of Education that approves programs that are meant to hire teachers based on merit as well as increase diversity in schools. According to an article by Partelow and her colleagues, the programs selected are aimed at, “Approved programs recruit, admit, and support high-quality candidates who reflect the diversity of Rhode Island’s PK-12 students” (2017 p.24). The adoption of such recruitment programs by the institution will have a huge impact on creating a more diverse teaching staff in the institution.

Another possible solution to increase the number of teachers of color is to look into other universities as possible centers for recruiting teachers. Recruiting teachers from the best universities around the country is important for hiring teachers who have excelled in their studies. However, some educators take on different education programs at small and unknown colleges but are good at what they do. Education opportunities between white people and people of color in the country are not the same or equal. According to an article by Darling-Hammond (2016), a majority of minority students will attend, “schools that are predominantly minority, most of them located in central cities and funded well below those in neighboring suburban districts” (para.5). In contrast, their white peers are given the opportunities to attend schools that are prestigious such as Harvard. Thus, it will become hard to increase the diversity of the teaching staff if the recruitment of educators by the school board is only limited to these prestigious schools. Therefore, I suggest to the board that they should expand their recruitment and hiring program to small and unpopular institutions of higher learning that offer people of color education and teaching courses.

In conclusion, I have written this letter to highlight the issue of under-representation of teachers of color in the school and wish to present the school board with possible solutions to remedy the issue I believe that the school board’s main aim and purpose is to ensure that the students can attain good and quality education that will have a positive impact in both their academic and social life. The issue of inequality in the representation of teachers of color is one issue that I have identified that hinders the institution’s ability to provide students with quality education. For many years, racism has affected the hiring of people of color as educators by hiring white people. Thus, the institution experiences low diversity, which presents a challenge to the students of color. Teachers of color identify with their students and share the social issues that they face outside their school life. Thus, the lack of a diverse group of teachers will most likely lead to the dropout of the minority students because they are more likely to experience racism in the school, similar to outside the school. However, I present solutions to the issue. First, I suggest that the school a recruitment program that hires educators on academic merit and not based on race. Also, I suggest that the school board to expand its recruitment to other universities and colleges that are small and less popular because most of the teachers from minority groups attain their certification from these centers of education. By looking into the suggestions and applying them, I believe that the school’s board will have solved the issue.

References

Camera, L. (2016). Major Teacher Diversity Problems in U.S.U.S. Schools. U.S.U.S. News & World Report. https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-05-06/major-teacher-diversity-problems-in-us-schools

Darling-Hammond, L. (2016). Unequal Opportunity: Race and Education. Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/unequal-opportunity-race-and-education/

Partelow, L., Spong, A., Brown, C., & Johnson, S. (2017). America needs more teachers of color and a more selective teaching profession. Washington, DC: Center for American Progress, 51.

Wells, A. S., Fox, L., & Cordova-Cobo, D. (2016). How racially diverse schools and classrooms can benefit all students. The Education Digest, 82(1), 17.