Recruitment and retention of a diverse teaching force

We have launched a movement to retain outstanding teachers of color in the classroom

Five teachers of color pose for photo

Research has consistently shown that teachers of color matter for all students, and especially for students of color.

Yet, the proportion of teachers of color in the workforce continues to lag far behind the share of students of color in our schools. And teachers of color are leaving the profession at higher rates than White teachers.

Our seminal report, If You Listen, We Will Stay: Why Teachers of Color Leave and How to Disrupt Teacher Turnover, explores the challenge of retaining diverse teachers in our schools by understanding the barriers they face in the profession and highlights promising solutions adopted by schools working to retain faculty of color.

Rooted in the voices and lived experiences of Black educators, our 2021 report, To Be Who We Are: Black Teachers on Creating Affirming School Cultures, lays out the conditions that Black teachers say are critical towards creating school cultures that affirm their identities. The report includes recommendations for teachers, school leaders, and district and state policymakers as they work to support and retain Black faculty.