Why The Recruitment Of Minority Teachers In K-12 Schools Faces Challenges Research Proposal Sample

Final Project Proposal: Why the recruitment of minority teachers in K-12 schools faces challenges

Introduction
Over the last decade, educational researchers have increased their focus on the lack of minority teachers in the teaching force. The rapid changes in the demography of USA’s population led to an increase in the number of minority learners in K-12 schools (Maxwell, 2014). The demographic trends at both national and state levels contribute towards the large-scale minority teachers’ shortage.

Statement of the problem

Despite the increase in the number of minority learners in schools, the teaching force’s composition has remained relatively stagnant. The recruitment of minority teachers in K-12 schools faces challenges. My interest in the issue emerged from my understanding of the need for role models learners can identify with in schools. A diverse teaching force allows learners to have teachers from their minority groups; this creates positive role models for the learners and contributes towards an improvement of student achievement.
There are some researchers that view the increase of minority teachers as a move that may affect the quality of education. According to Ingersoll and May (2011), data acquired over the last two decades shows that minority teachers are less stable that white teachers. Minority teachers are more likely to quit the teaching profession or move from one school to another. About one-third of the 600,000 minority teachers in USA moved between, into, and out of schools during the 2003-2004 school year. The moves affect learners as they have to adjust to new teachers, learning strategies, and environments every time a new teacher comes.

Literature Review

The recruitment of minority teachers is slow in K-12 schools across the nation; there is a significant diversity gap in almost every state. In California, only 29% of teachers are non-white, whereas, 73% of the students are non-white (Boser, 2014). In reference to the cumulative concern over the minority teacher deficit, various districts and states adopt a variety of policy measures. The measures aim at increasing the number of minority teachers in the teaching workforce. Despite two decades of efforts through state, federal, and district initiatives, there is still a significant imbalance between the proportion of minority students and teachers in K-12 schools (Hanover Research, 2014). The increase in minority teacher deficit can relate to the decline of white students and increase in minority students in the schools.
The minority teachers’ recruitment process faces challenges due to a variety of reasons according to various researchers. According to Bireda and Chait (2011), school districts face an uphill battle in efforts to recruit Latino and African-American teachers. The recruitment and retention of minority teachers experience challenges in reference to the provision of support and sufficient resources to teaching candidates. The problem emerges from the lack of effective programs to recruit and retain. According to Hanover Research (2014), there is inadequate focus on financial incentives, mentorship programs, professional development, and other organizational conditions.
The programs used by districts in minority teacher selection require a lot of time and labor to recruit talented and interested candidates. It further faces competition from more prestigious career opportunities offering better pay and benefits. Highly effective teacher candidates tend to have several options; they view teaching as a career with little prestige and opt for other careers such as law and medicine. There is also a challenge in balancing the processes of finding teachers and ensuring they are effective. The recruitment programs lack ways of assessing a prospective teacher’s potential success in a classroom environment. Even after recruitment, there is a challenge of retention. There is a need for education systems that support the teachers financially and academically. Through financially sustainable programs, they can maintain the candidates’ interests in the career. Financial sustainability of the programs involved in minority teacher recruitment is also a challenge. Most of the existing programs receive funds from short-term grants. There is a need for permanent sources of funding.

Why is the diversity issue problematic?

Challenges in the recruitment process result in few minority teachers in K-12 schools. It denies the learners an opportunity to have teachers they can identify with and view as role models. There is also evidence that lack of adequate minority teachers affects the minority students’ performance in a variety of academic endeavors (Morrell, 2010). The problem denies learners a chance to learn from teachers that have similar cultural backgrounds and life experiences. It denies learners from different cultural groups an opportunity to interact with people that act and look different. It prevents the learners from adequately building social trust and adopting a wider sense of community (Boser, 2014).

Resolving and remediating the problem

The problem can end through the adoption of successful programs that provide creative and innovative solutions (Bireda & Chait, 2011). There are various programs that can facilitate adequate recruitment and preparation of diverse teaching candidates. The recommendations occur in reference to federal, program and state interventions.
Federal policy can ensure the support of state reporting and accountability. It would ensure the evaluation of all preparation programs within a state according to similar high standards. It must also ensure the effective financial support of teaching candidates. Modification of the TEACH grant program will limit qualifying institutes and accommodate those with a record of producing effective teachers (Bireda & Chait, 2011). State and district policies should undergo modification to ensure a diversity of providers of teacher preparation. They can also provide low-cost options for teacher preparation and certifications. They must also ensure statewide support of programs to recruit and prepare minority teachers. Last but not least, the programs should ensure a balance of high standards and intensive support. It can occur through involvement in continuous evaluation, targeted recruitment, and the provision of intensive support to candidates.

Conclusion

The demographic changes in the American population are unavoidable; this facilitates an increase in minority learners. The schools must respond by increasing the number of minority teachers. The adoption of efficient strategies for eliminating the challenges hindering the recruitment of minority teachers will ensure progress; learners can learn in environments that are culturally diverse and accommodating.

References

Bireda, S., & Chait, R. (2011). Increasing Teacher Diversity: Strategies to improve the teacher workforce. Center for American Progress. Retrieved March 20, 2015 from https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp- content/uploads/issues/2011/11/pdf/chait_diversity.pdf
Boser, U. (2014). Teacher Diversity Revisited: A new state-by-state analysis. Center for American Progress. Retrieved March 20, 2015 from https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/race/report/2014/05/04/88962/teacher- diversity-revisited/
Hanover Research. (2014). Recruiting and Retaining Diverse Personnel. Retrieved March 20, 2015 from http://scee.groupsite.com/uploads/files/x/000/0a8/843/Recruiting%20and%20Retaining% 20Diverse%20Personnel.pdf?1402065555
Ingersoll, R., & May, H. (2011). Recruitment, Retention, and the Minority Teacher Shortage. The University of Pennsylvania: The Consortium for Policy Research in Education. Retrieved March 20, 2015 from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED526355.pdf
Maxwell, L. A. (2014). U.S. School Enrolment hits Majority-Minority Milestone. Education Week. Retrieved March 20, 2015 from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/08/20/01demographics.h34.html
Morrell, J. (2010). Teacher Preparation and Diversity: Why American pre-service teachers aren’t white and middle class. International Journal of Multicultural Education, 12(1). Retrieved March 20, 2015 from http://www.academia.edu/257521/Teacher_Preparation_and_Diversity_When_American _Pre-service_Teachers_Aren_t_White_and_Middle_Class