The Goal: By 2020, double the current number of teachers of color in the state, and ensure that 20% of candidates in the teacher preparation pipeline are persons of color or American Indian.

The Problem:  The lack of racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity in Minnesota's teaching force (96% white) even though students of color and Native American students make up 30% of the K-12 population in MN and the majority of students in many urban, suburban and rural schools. 

Proposed Solutions to Address Key Barriers:  While there are many strategies that need to be implemented to increase teacher diversity in Minnesota, we advocate five main strategies that will have the greatest impact on making sure that effective teachers more closely reflect our increasingly diverse K-12 student population.

1. Support Pathways to Teaching for Diverse Youth, Parents, Paraprofessionals and Career Changers that are flexible, affordable and result in high quality preparation.  "Grow Your Own" programs are among the most successful in diversifying the teacher workforce because they tap into the knowledge, relationships and commitments of the community.
   
   

2. Eliminate Discriminatory Teacher Testing Requirements that have proven to disproportionately keep thousands of racially, culturally and linguistically diverse teacher candidates from becoming fully licensed and entering the profession even though these competent and committed individuals have proven their effectiveness teaching during student teaching or while employed with a limited/provisional license.
   
   

3. Provide Scholarship Incentives and Student Teaching Stipends to encourage people of color to enter the teaching profession, and to remove a major barrier that keeps diverse candidates from becoming licensed because they can't afford to live and student teach full-time without pay for 12-16 weeks while paying college tuition and fees connected to licensure.
   
   
4. Provide Loan Forgiveness for Service Programs as incentives to enter the profession and stay in the profession because beginning teacher salaries make it difficult to pay off heavy student loan debt. Loan forgiveness would be tied to years of service.
   
   
5. Provide Financial Support for Induction and Retention Programs for diverse beginning teachers offered by schools, districts and higher education institutions.  Adequate and sustained state funding is a needed investment for such professional development and retention efforts.that research has proven to be important to increasing teacher effectiveness and reducing teacher attrition.  Such programs are especially important for diverse candidates who are also challenged by the burdens of being one of the few or only diverse teachers in a building.

Background of the Coalition:

The Coalition was created in November 2015 by teacher educators from public and private colleges and universities along with urban school district administrators who are committed to quality in teacher preparation and concerned about barriers that especially impact persons of color who want to enter and stay in the teaching profession.  These barriers are especially problematic for adult learners and non-licensed employees of color who want to be well-prepared licensed teachers of diverse E-12 learners.     

On December 11, 2015 the Coalition held a planning meeting of 40 people who were known to care about this issue and had experience with community organizing.  On February 6, 2016 the Coalition multiplied when more than 250 people representing more than 100 organizations, districts and institutions throughout the state participated in a "Call to Action" event in Minneapolis.  https://mntoc2020.wordpress.com/

The Coalition recognizes that E-12 student diversity has increased and will continue to increase throughout the state.  We also recognize that individuals, organizations, institutions and elected officials throughout the state regardless of race, location, or political affiliation care about this important issue in education and society. 

Thus, the Coalition unites students, parents, teacher candidates, teacher educators, paraprofessionals, teachers and administrators from urban, suburban and rural area schools and districts.  The Coalition also unites legislators, school board members and other elected officials from throughout MN as well as community-based organizations, teacher unions, policy and advocacy groups, think tanks, foundations, philanthropists, businesses and any other individuals seeking a more diverse teaching force.   

The Coalition is motivated by the advocacy and leadership work of organizations such as advocacy work on this issue, including the MN Educational Equity Partnership (MnEEP), the MN Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (MACTE), Educators4Excellence, and Education Minnesota, and Voices for Racial Justice.  The Coalition wants to build upon their advocacy work to create an even larger chorus of voices calling for more diversity in the teaching profession needed to help close unacceptable opportunity and achievement gaps.

For more info email Increase.Teacher.Diversity.MN@gmail.com