California Educator Diversity Action Network (CEDAN)
Inspired by the clear evidence that California’s young people were not getting equitable access to high quality, diverse educators that research shows are essential to improving their academic outcomes, a group of educators and community advocates from across the state gathered in Sacramento in 2023 to talk about the educator shortage crisis in California. They were clear that this “shortage” was the product of a longstanding, shortsighted vision for what educators and students need to thrive. These founding educators and community advocates were not interested in simply “filling vacancies.” They wanted to fill an unmet promise. They wanted diverse educators to enter a profession capable of not only retaining great educators, but inspiring future ones.
At the same time, a parallel community initiative for diverse educators was emerging. Out of these efforts, the California Educator Diversity Road Map, a set of local and state policy recommendations shaped by community voices, published in the spring of 2023.
When the educator-led initiative and the community-driven Road Map united, something powerful was born: the California Educator Diversity Action Network (CEDAN).
What is CEDAN?
The California Educator Diversity Action Network (CEDAN) is a table of educators, advocates, students, parents, researchers, and policy influencers taking action together to ensure California builds the diverse, sustainable, and fully prepared educator workforce our students, families, and future deserve.
CEDAN is a growing cross-sector coalition of more than 50 Network Members.
CEDAN’S North Star:
The profession for educators is an elevated one that is built to last, lead, and serve all students in California because diverse educators are…
- More representative of the communities served by CA public schools and guided by a commitment to racial and linguistic diversity and equity.
- Recruited, retained, and given opportunities to develop and rise within and beyond their classroom.
- Well paid, prepared, and resourced, working within humane and sustainable roles and conditions.
- More trusted and empowered to positively impact students, colleagues, communities, and the future of public education.
We will only reach our North Star with ongoing commitment to authentic community engagement, actionable and sound research, and transformative innovation.
CEDAN Core Partners:
CEDAN is led by 11 Core Partner organizations that represent education and community organizations and key constituents. Core Partners take action to advance CEDAN’s North Star and goals, deepening strategic relationships within and beyond the Network.
CEDAN Educator Leaders:
CEDAN recruited 10 exemplary educators representing different demographics to shape strategy and decisions and serve as co-creators of policy recommendations. Our educator leaders are public storytellers and ambassadors for the future of the profession.
CEDAN’s Goals:
- Develop a coordinated, equity-driven educator workforce strategy—powered by a strong and connected network—that builds political will, strengthens the alignment and impact of public investments, and ensures every student has access to a diverse, well-prepared, and well-supported educator.
- Advance an equitable compensation framework to attract, retain, and value a diverse and effective educator workforce to ensure every student has access to consistent, high-quality instruction from well-supported educators.
- Sustain, expand, and institutionalize high-quality, debt-free educator pathways that reflect the state’s racial and linguistic diversity—ensuring aspiring teachers can enter the profession well-prepared, credentialed, and without financial burden, particularly in the communities that need them most.
- Implement a transparent, equity-driven system of educator retention that prioritizes the success and well-being of ethnoracially diverse early-career teachers—particularly teachers of color and multilingual educators—through differentiated supports in the first five years and coordinated statewide oversight that ensures publicly accessible, disaggregated data informs policy, investment, and practice.
For more information, please contact:
Lanae Jimenez
ljimenez@teachplus.org
CEDAN Network Manager
Teach Plus California Network and Teacher Mobilization Manager
