Motoko Rich’s latest piece in the New York Times asks a basic, perennial question: “Where Are the Teachers of Color?”
Ms. Rich reports that 80 percent of teachers in the United States are white. This isn’t surprising news. I don’t have the data, but my gut says that fewer people of color are going into the teaching profession now than have in the past.
This is a big problem, but it’s not one that will be solved quickly or easily. This is because teaching is underpaid and carries low status in society. The emphasis on testing — and the resulting cheating scandals, Atlanta being the most famous — probably doesn’t help, either.
Please check out the article (link below) and let me know your thoughts.
Excerpt
“The majority of those who successfully attend college choose careers other than education, mainly because of the pay,” said Marvin Lynn, dean of the School of Education at Indiana University in South Bend, who is starting a scholarship program for minority students interested in education careers.
Source: http://j.mp/1Cz4sX6 (via Pocket). You can also find this article at Iserotope Extras, a curated list of my favorite articles about teaching, reading, and technology.