What’s on the Table? Illinois Has a Teacher Diversity Shortage, Too
By Rachel Brick, Anita Thawani Bucio, Charity Freeman,
Victor Idowu, Keisha Rembert, and Arnetta Thompson
In almost every classroom around the state each November, teachers ask, “What are you and your family going to eat at Thanksgiving?”
Designed to build community, this question has tremendous potential to make all students feel seen and heard. As Arnetta Thompson, a Black teacher of 19 years explains, “When the class is talking about our favorite Thanksgiving dishes and a little Brown girl says ‘sweet potato pie,’ and I am able to chime in agreement amongst a bunch of confused faces, it makes a difference. When we get into a full out argument over whose family makes the best baked mac and cheese, a staple at our Thanksgiving dinner (mine does, Elijah!), it makes a difference.”
This is more than a teachable moment that all families have their own traditions; this is the moment that many Illinois’ Black and Brown students may never experience. This is the moment when they share a background with their teacher.
Illinois faces a dramatic teacher shortage, and the teacher diversity shortage is as severe and important as the overall teacher shortage. As a nation, we continue to grapple with the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, only some of the most recent examples of the racism that is instrumental to the founding of our nation. Simultaneously, the devastating impact COVID-19 has had on communities of color widens the systemic disparities already prevalent in our society. Whether we are focusing on small but crucial moments like Thanksgiving dishes or engaging students in discussions around race and equity, the shortage of teachers who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and the need to remedy it are essential at all times. Teachers of color are central to the self-actualization of our students of color and, furthermore, for creating consciousness around racism for white students.
In 2018-2019, students of color made up 52% of Illinois’ student population. In the same year, teachers of color comprised only 15% of the teaching population. The impacts of this shortage reach beyond a Thanksgiving dinner conversation.
“When we talk about where our ancestors come from,” Thompson continues, “and I see embarrassed faces from my Black children because the timeline only goes back so far borrow the cover illustration from because our history was stolen and lineage lost, I can lead an eye-opening class conversation about slavery in America. It makes a difference.”
The difference that these conversations make is an inclusive one; not just Black and Brown children, but all children, benefit from the perspective that a teacher of color brings to their classroom. The Learning Policy Institute notes that “teachers of color help close achievement gaps for students of color and are highly rated by students of all races.”
Students who share the racial or ethnic identity of their teacher have been found to increase math and reading scores by three to four percentile points. For Black students, this effect is particularly profound: A study by Johns Hopkins University showed that low-income Black boys who had just one Black teacher in elementary school were 39% less likely to drop out of high school and 29% more likely to go to college.
The positive outcomes of a more diverse teaching force are clear and substantive, but “without clear practices and systemic policy measures to recruit and retain teachers of color, students in Illinois will be disadvantaged,” according to “Equity and Diversity by Design,” a 2019 report by Teach Plus. Despite the clear positive effects of a diverse workforce, the racial makeup of Illinois’ teachers stands in stark contrast to the demographics of our student populations, as noted in ISBE’s “Teach Illinois Strong Teachers, Strong Classrooms” report, “[t]he student population has become increasingly diverse while the teaching corps remains predominantly white and female.”
School boards have a unique and influential position to further the mission of equity and representation and create long term solutions for Illinois’ children and their teachers. The Illinois Association of School Boards’ educational equity statement includes, “School board members are responsible for the ‘equitable and quality education of every student in the school district and must act accordingly in their collective work as a board of education to foster excellence for every student … everyone benefits when all students have access to the educational resources and rigor they need, in all times and circumstances.”
A strong commitment to equity is vital to providing students the highest possible standard of education, and to accomplish this, boards of education must consider how to recruit and retain more teachers of color that reflect the diverse student populations in Illinois schools. To create a robust teacher pipeline and ensure career longevity for faculty of color, we urge school board members to consider the following ideas.
Alleviate the ‘invisible tax’ on teachers of color.
“As a Black female teacher, I am expected to shoulder the emotional struggles and psychological burdens of my Black students. At one school, I was half of the Black teaching staff in my building. As such, my priority of classroom instruction and my professional identity as an educator were consistently disrupted and overshadowed by my assumed roles of school counselor, social worker, and dean. I chose to leave that school; otherwise, burnout would’ve forced me to leave the classroom altogether.”
-- Charity Freeman, high school computer science teacher, Chicago
Teachers of color and linguistically-diverse teachers have the power to empathize with students’ lived experiences and with the bias and discrimination, they may have experienced. This empathy contributes to the development of trusting teacher-student relationships. In practice, though, this also means that, according to Equity and Diversity by Design, “teachers of color are often called upon to do extra work; work that is not expected of their White peers, and work that is not compensated.”
From providing translation services for non-English-speaking families to implementing schoolwide disciplinary policies, this “invisible tax” is a leading cause of teacher burnout and contributes to highly qualified teachers leaving the profession. School boards can take specific steps to alleviate this invisible tax, notably by ensuring that teachers of color are compensated for this additional work.
Ensure that teachers reflect all students in a school’s community.
“The Brown and Black students’ faces in my school district need to see themselves in their teachers. They need to know that their reality is not an other, alternative, or minority reality. Theirs is just as real and valuable. For example, I overheard Janiah, a Black girl with curly, thick hair talking with Emily, a White girl with blonde, thin, straight hair. Seeking to normalize Janiah’s experience, I said, ‘A lot of Black girls wash their hair only a few times a month. I know I did growing up. It’s a process that can take hours because most Black girls have thick and curly hair like mine ... there’s nothing like wash day, isn’t that right, Janiah?’ Janiah smiled as her head lifted, and I couldn’t help but wonder how this conversation would go if no one could validate Janiah’s experience. How many other times was she was put in an awkward or unaffirming situation because she was Black, and most of her classmates were white, and there were things she and her family did, well, differently?”
-- Arnetta Thompson, fifth-grade National Board Certified Teacher, western suburb of Chicago
A shared experience can make a student feel seen, valued, and more deeply entrenched in their school community. Schools are the cornerstone of a neighborhood, and in our increasingly diverse cities and towns, schools are often the first place that new residents meet one another. Feeling a part of that community is critical. Conversely, as Teach Plus Illinois has noted, “in disregarding racial difference, we do not challenge dominant cultural themes in our society or in our schools.”
Without teachers of color in classrooms and on the playground, we perpetuate narratives that devalue many of Illinois’ children. School board members can address this gap by actively pursuing diversity as part of hiring practices. Simple changes can make a big difference, such as ensuring that people of color participate in all hiring panels.
Provide resources for teachers of color that promote their well-being.
“During parent-teacher conferences, I am often asked about my level of education and years of teaching experience. It became clear to me that these questions were intended to cast doubt on my teaching ability because they were not asked of my white colleagues. This experience is normal for teachers of color in my school, and our White colleagues are unaware of it or the resulting emotional toll. After these conversations were brought to the attention of the administration and the school board, my school formally established affinity spaces for teachers of color. These spaces allowed teachers of color to meet, connect, and collectively communicate about the cultural, technical, systemic, and policy barriers experienced by staff and students. These trusting, safe, and healing collective spaces are validating and provide immense support for our lived experiences while promoting change in our school. For districts to effectively support teachers of color, their voices and lived experiences must be heard.”
-- Anita Thawani Bucio, high school English teacher, northern suburb of Chicago
Thawani Bucio’s experience of belonging and agency that affinity groups offer is not unique. Teach Plus’ 2019 report notes that, “affinity-based professional development decreased isolation and increased retention for Black teachers” and that, “affinity groups could help with the constant reflection and introspection teachers of color crave as they continue to serve students who oftentimes mirror themselves.” In providing these spaces for teachers, schools are showing a commitment to creating sustainable work environments for all their staff.
Hire and retain educators so that students have the opportunity to work with teachers who connect with their lived experiences.
“As an African American male teacher, I am a representative of the silent minority, the invisible 2% of the nation’s public educators that are rarely seen or heard in most public school buildings. Over the last 18 years, I have had the pleasure of instructing and inspiring hundreds of students throughout the city. In addition to promoting academic achievement, I have to also take on the responsibility of fostering the social and emotional well-being of the male students, since I oftentimes find myself being the lone adult male teacher in the building. Fairly recently, I had an African-American male student named Aaron in my fifth-grade math class. Academically, he arrived in my class reading at a third- grade level. Behaviorally, he had great difficulty controlling his impulses in class and constantly had to be redirected. Socially, he was unable to get along well with peers and regularly spent time in the redirection room for causing disruptions in his other classes. However, he showed an aptitude in math, and I intentionally highlighted his strengths as I assisted him with his areas of growth.
With a tremendous amount of patience and understanding, I was able to assist him in meeting his end-of-the-year growth target in math, and he also showed some progress in his reading NWEA results. Over the course of the year, he improved his ability to self-regulate without causing disruption to the classroom environment. He ended the year peer tutoring younger students in math and challenging me in chess during lunch periods. Through this experience, he and I formed a bond but I truly worry about him going forward without the support of a trusting individual with a shared perspective who can see beyond his behavior."
-- Victor Idowu, high school math teacher, Chicago
To transform, inspire, and create opportunities for young men like Aaron and to equalize the conditions of those most adversely affected by the perpetual inequities of the current educational system, we need more resources. These resources should include a diverse set of passionate teachers willing to change the system and change what it means to be an educator by any reasonable means necessary. As educators of color, we know that students make a stronger commitment to their education when those with intellectual authority see the world through their eyes and are there to support them.
Recommendations
Every Janiah and every Aaron deserves the best that Illinois can offer, and because we owe this to them, it is time to deliberately focus on ending the diversity shortage facing Illinois classrooms. As the powerbrokers in your districts, you are situated to lead the charge in this work. We urge you to take the following recommendations into account to create a more stable and equitable educational system in Illinois for all.
Recommendation 1: Set diversity goals for recruitment and selection of school teaching and support staff, monitor progress towards those goals, and hold superintendents accountable in working toward achieving district-wide racial equity goals.
Recommendation 2: Allocate funds and resources for mandated, district-wide professional development, training, and support around equity (i.e. culturally responsive teaching practices, implicit bias training, Critical Practitioner Research, the establishment of formal, in-school affinity spaces, etc.) to provide education and resources that are necessary to support our most vulnerable school communities.
Recommendation 3: Alleviate the invisible tax by ensuring that teachers of color are adequately compensated for their additional work.
Recommendation 4: Recognize schools that make measurable efforts to reflect the racial and ethnic demographics of the communities that they serve and to align policy initiatives to the recruitment and retention of teachers of color (i.e. equitable hiring practices, formal evaluation protocol/process, etc.).
We also encourage you to engage in learning about systemic inequities in education as individuals and leaders. The success of these recommendations rests on the shoulders of self-work as well as community work
Rachel Brick is a bilingual and ESL teacher at Sullivan High School in Chicago Public Schools and a 2019-20 Teach Plus Illinois Policy Fellow alumna. Anita Thawani Bucio, Ph.D., is an English instructor and Instructional coach at Evanston Township High School and a 2019-20 Teach Plus Illinois Policy Fellow alumna. Charity Freeman teaches Computer Science at Lane Tech College Prep High School in Chicago and is a Computer Science Teachers of America Equity Fellow and a 2019-2020 Teach Plus Illinois K-12 Policy Fellow. Victor Idowu is a math instructor at Percy L. Julian High School in Chicago Public Schools and a 2019-20 Teach Plus Illinois Policy Fellow alumna. Keisha Rembert is the 2019 Illinois History Teacher of the Year, an Assistant Professor of Teacher Preparation at National Louis University, a teacher with 15 years of experience in the classroom, and a 2019-2020 Teach Plus Illinois Senior Policy Fellow. Arnetta Thompson is an Enrichment Specials teacher at Lincoln and Longfellow Schools in Oak Park ESD 97 and a 2020-2021 Senior Teach Plus Policy Fellow. Resources associated with this article, including other writings of the contributors, can be accessed via bit.ly/SO20Jres.