Gates Foundation Teacher Diversity Paper

Diversifying the Educator Workforce Task Force
DRAFT as of November 2015
ABSTRACT
This report:
analyzes
Washington
States teacher
diversity gap
the differential
in demographics
between the K12 teacher
workforce and
student
population;
examines
exemplar
teacher prep
programs and
districts; and,
identifies
potential levers
for action to
increase the
percentage of
teachers of
color in K-12
classrooms.
DIVERSIFYING THE
EDUCATOR
WORKFORCE DRAFT
WORKING PAPER
NOVEMBER 2015
Gates Team:
Hassan Brown,
Edie Harding,
LiLi Liu, Telca
Porras, &
Heather Rogers
The Bill &
Melinda Gates
Foundation
Executive Summary
The teacher workforce in Washington State is 91% Caucasian compared to an 83%
national average. Washingtons student population is steadily growing more diverse
at 43% students of color, on pace with the national average of 40%. The states
Hispanic/Latino population has doubled in the past decade. According to the Center
for American Progress Teacher Diversity Index, which measures the percentage
point difference between teachers of color and students of color, Washington ranked
31st.
This skewed racial representation means that most public school teachers come
from significantly different cultures than their students and that as a group, they
enjoy unacknowledged privileges denied to many of their students. 1
In response to the growing body of literature showing that students of all races
benefit from exposure to educators of diverse races backgrounds and ethnicities,
the PNW Education Pathways Team seeks to improve the diversity of the
Washington teacher workforce by examining state and national exemplars in both
teacher preparation and district programs to identify potential levers to promote
sustainable improvement of the diversity of candidates who can provide high quality
K-12 instruction.
Washington State currently addresses the diversity gap in its teacher workforce
through a series of limited initiatives that include scholarships such as the Martinez
Foundation, alternative route programs such as Heritage University in Yakima and
Western Washington University in the Skagit Valley, and district grow your own
programs like the Seattle Public Schools Urban Teacher Residency and BurlingtonEdisons Latinos in Action. But these programs are small scale and insufficient to
grow the number of diverse teachers needed, especially in districts where more
than 50% of students are students of color. Of the approximately 2,500 new
teachers certified in 2013-14, only 286 were teachers of color. For purposes of this
paper, teachers of color refers to teachers who proportionately reflect student
demographics (with Hispanic being the highest need). The initial goal is to increase
the share of teachers of color to 30% by 2030 in selected regions in Washington
State2, and to retain those same teachers in the profession for more than five years,
through:
Advocating for defined career pathways and higher teacher salaries in early
career;
Highlighting best practices in school district recruitment, mentoring, and
retention by building pipelines of current students and community residents
of color;
1 Hinchey, P.H. (2008). Becoming A Critical Educator. Page 3 New York NY: Peter Lang
2 We have also looked at an option of 15% statewide which we will pose to our advisory group.
2
Developing better support for current teachers of color to succeed in the

classroom and as leaders in the building;
Expanding current programs that support the challenges and opportunities of
being a person of color in teacher prep cohorts in a school building;
Supporting traditional and alternative teacher prep programs that are
considered a prestigious award similar to the Martinez Scholarships or Gates
Millennium Scholars, for paraprofessionals, child care educators 3, and high
school direct college students;
Developing middle and high school student pipelines that give dual high
school/college credit to high school students.
The Current Challenge

High
quality
ingredient
in
academically
in
body of literature
students achieve
exposed
to
a
teachers. The lack
Washington
addressing
achievement gap.
While
several
South King County
Districts
have
number of lowcolor in AP and IB
to
change
the
education.
inspire their paths
and life.
The pipeline to
work is controlled
preparation
hiring, mentoring,
Student experience: Jerome

peers across a sea of White
faces, all of his teachers and
most of his classmates happen
to be White. Where are all the
Black teachers? Where are the
teachers who look like me? The
only role models who look like
him are members of the
custodial and lunchroom staff.
Jerome tries to fit in and adopt
the White, middle-class norms
and values that dominate the
curriculum, leaving him to feel
like he lives in two different
worlds culturally. He has to work
extra hard to disprove harsh
stereotypes. For instance once
he lost a homework assignment
on the bus. His math teacher
refused to believe his story and
called him lazy.
Diversifying
the
Educator
Workforce. Sleeter, Neal, and
Kumashiro page 1. NY NYW
Routledge 2015
teaching is the most important

helping
students
achieve
4
the classroom , and a growing
indicates that underrepresented
greater academic success when
culturally diverse
group of
of
teacher
diversity
in
creates a barrier to effectively
education inequity and the
regions in Washington state, the
Road Map, and Tacoma School
focused
on
increasing
the
income students and students of
courses, that alone is insufficient
quality and experience of their
Students need role models to
to success in college, careers,
diversify the educator work force
by two sources: 1) teacher
programs; and 2) districts
and retention practices.
3 The child care workforce pathway to teaching would be connected to our Early Learning strategy
work.
http://www.metproject.org/downloads/MET_Ensuring_Fair_and_Reliable_Measures_Practitioner_Brief.pdf
Ensuring Fair and Reliable Measures of Effective Teaching: Culminating Findings from the MET Projects
Three Year Study. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 2013
University teacher preparation programs have struggled with recruiting and

retaining candidates of color for a variety reasons, including: 1) lack of potential
students who see teaching as a viable career; 2) challenging or culturally biased
skills tests for admission; and 3) insufficient financial aid.
Fewer candidates of color in teacher prep programs means fewer candidates for
districts to hire, compounded by lack of qualified diverse candidates living in or near
their district. Teachers of color recruited into districts from out of state are less
likely to stay for a variety of reasons including they desire to return to their home
state or community and they find the district working conditions challenging with
too few teachers who look like them.
Research Literature Review

To learn more, the foundation commissioned the Center for Education, Data &
Research (CEDR) to conduct a literature review seeking evidence on whether
diversifying the teacher work force has a positive impact on student achievement in
the K-12 system.5 The review found that a racial/ethnic match between teacher and
student has a positive effect, because: 1) students of color benefit from seeing adult
role models in a position of authority; 2) teachers of color are more likely to have
high expectations for students of color; and 3) racial/ethnic match minimizes
disparities that may occur because of different cultural instructional styles or
interpretations of students behavior. 6
However, the actual impact on student achievement measured through test scores
while significant is small depending on the study 7. Teaching quality continues to be
the strongest variable in predicting student achievement on test scores.
The CEDR paper data shows effect on student performance in math and reading
based on the literature of teacher characteristics by examining the national blackwhite achievement gap in reading and math for 4 th and 8th graders (see Figures 1
and 2 in Appendix B). Achievement gaps were calculated from 2012-13 Measures of
Student Progress (MSP) in Washington State and 2013 National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP) for nationally-representative sample.
5 The Theoretical and Empirical Arguments for Diversifying the Teacher Workforce: A review of the
Evidence. Goldhaber, Theobald, and Tien. Center for Education, Data & Research. Internal working
paper 2015
6 Ibid 2. Ibid 2.
7 Effect size ranges from .01 to .13 for reading and 0.0 to 0.12 for math depending
on the study identified in CEDR review. See Appendix C for details.
4
See Appendix C for Estimated Effect of Teacher Characteristics on Student

Achievement for more detail.
The CEDR paper8 also found: there is a significant literature that argues that a
match between the race/ethnicity of teachers and students leads to better student
outcomes, particularly in high-poverty environments with significant at-risk student
populations (Clewell & Villegas, 1998; Dilworth, 1990; Fordham & Ogbu, 1986;
Ingersoll & May, 2011; Irvine, 1992; King, 1993; Madkins, 2011; Ogbu, 1992;
Zapata, 1988; Zimpher & Ashburn, 1992). 9 Some, in fact, posit the teacher-student
role model gap as an important explanation for the educational and achievement
gaps that we see among students (Boser, 2011; Evans, 1992; Hess & Leal, 1997;
Little & Bartlett, 2010; Steele & Aronson, 1995; Villegas & Lucas, 2004). 10 Having a
teacher of the same race has a small but meaningful impact on student test scores.
The CEDR review found that the role teachers play in subjective assessments (e.g.
expectations of performance and ability to succeed in college,) as well as
disciplinary actions affects student attitude and performance. For example, nonblack teachers have significantly lower expectations of educational attainment for
black students than black teachers.11
John Hatties meta-analyses on factors relating to student achievement reinforces
the importance of teacher as role model 12. The Gates MET reports13 highlight the
importance and validity of student perceptions in assessing the effectiveness of
teachers. The teachers attitude or belief system sets them apart as high-effect
teachers. Expert teachers have five key dimensions 14 how they: organize and use
the content knowledge, create an optimal classroom climate for learning and trust,
8 Ibid 1.
9 Similar arguments are made in the case of female teachers in mathematics and science, fields in
which females have traditionally been underrepresented (e.g., Beilock et al., 2010).
10 Racial and ethnic student achievement gaps represent a major concern for education policy (Lee &
Burkam, 2002) due to mounting evidence that these gaps impact wage and wealth gaps (Card, 1999),
persist into higher education (Arcidiacono et al., 2012), and have remained significant over the last 30
years (Lee, 2002).
11 Who Believes in Me? The Effective of Student-Teacher Demographic Match on Teacher Expectations
by Gershenson, Holt and Papageorge. Upjohn Institute working paper 2015.
12 John Hattie Visible Learning for Teachers, Routledge, NY 2012

13
14 John Hattie Visible Learning for Teachers, NY NY Routledge, 2012

5
monitor learning and provide feedback, believe all students can reach the success
criteria, and influence a wide range of student outcomes such as staying in school,
deepen learning, encourage risks and develop a sense of themselves. So while
these are important attitudes for all teachers, we would surmise that teacher of
color can serve as strong role models to their students of similar backgrounds when
they have these characteristics.
Building a Diverse Educator Workforce

The Center for Education, Data and Research (CEDR) 15 was also commissioned to
examine educator and student diversity gaps and historical trends. They found that
Washington State school districts (with a few minor exceptions) have a teacher
workforce that is less diverse than their student population (See Appendix D and
Figure 3 below).
Figure 3. State-Level Percentages of Non-White Students and Non-White Teachers, 201112 School
Year, CEDR 2015
15 Educator and Student Diversity in Washington State: Gaps and Historical Trends. Goldhaber, Krieg
and Theobald. Center for Education, Data & Research. 2015
Exploring trends between diversity of the student body and lack of diversity of the
teaching workforce from 1988-201416, CEDR found that teacher diversity over 25
years has not kept up with the change in student demographics. There was a 16%
increase in Black, Latino and Native American Studentsdescribed as
underrepresented minority students (URM) while the percent of Black, Latino and
Native American teachers has grown by a mere 2% (Figure 4).
Figure 4. Historical Trends in State-Level Percentages of URM Teachers and URM Students, CEDR 2015
The largest increase has been in Hispanic students, which in turn shows a larger gap
between Hispanic students and Hispanic teachers. The gaps for Blacks and Native
American students and teachers have remained relatively constant (Figure 5). 17
16 See https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/pubschuniv.asp
17 Educator and Student Diversity in Washington State: Gaps and Historical Trends. Goldhaber, Krieg
and Theobald. Center for Education, Data & Research. 2015 p 7-9.
Figure 5. Historical Trends in State-Level Disaggregated Percentages of URM Teachers and URM
Students, CEDR 2015
Hiring rates of Hispanic teachers outpace attrition rates (Figure 5) but have largely
cancelled each other out for Black and Native American teachers, which means that
these groups percentages of the workforce has not changed much over the past 25
years (Figure 6). The solid fill shows periods in which the percentage of hired
teachers in that group was higher than the percentage of departing teachers, while
a dashed fill represents the opposite.
Figure 6. Historical Trends in State-Level Teacher Hiring and Attrition Rates by URM Category, CEDR
2015
In 2013, the Washington State Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB)

commissioned research from The Stellar Group to focus on teacher prep programs
and student- teacher comparisons across nine Washington State Educational
Service Districts (ESDs). In response to a growing Hispanic student population, ESD
105 successfully recruited over 100 new Hispanic teachers, a 32% increase since
2004.
In October 2014, the Washington State student population by race and ethnicity in
K-12 was as follows18:
Hispanic / Latino of any race(s)
233,616
21.7%
Native American / Alaskan Native
16,221
1.5%
Asian
77,421
7.2%
Black / African American
48,248
4.5%
Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander
10,680
1.0%
612,625
57.0%
76,274
7.1%
White
Two or More Races
Total
1,075,107
The largest diversity gap is in ESD 105 (Yakima) where teachers of color make up
16% and students of color are 68% of the population, and in the Road Map Project
Region in South King County, where teachers of color are 16% and students of color
are 69% of the population. Some school districts in the Road Map Region have a gap
greater than these averages.
Washington State Teacher and Student Population 2013-14
% Teachers of
% Students of Color
Color
Nationally
17%
41%
Washington
9%
43%
By Educational Service District19
101 (Spokane &

Eastern WA)
105 (Yakima & Central

WA)
%112 (Vancouver & SW

WA)
113 (Olympia & SW WA)
114 (Bremerton &

Peninsula WA)
121 (Puget Sound WA)
5%
21%
16%
68%
6%
28%
5%
7%
31%
32%
12%
47%
18 ttp://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/summary.aspx?
groupLevel=District&schoolId=1&reportLevel=State&year=2014-15
19 The Stellar Group (2014). Washington Student and Teachers Report: Classroom Teacher &Student
Demographics in Washington State . Highline figures revised per Highline School District conversation
2015
123 (Walla Walla & E.

WA)
171 (Wenatchee &

Central WA)
189 (Anacortes & NW

WA)
Road Map Project (South King
County)
Overall
Road Map Districts
Auburn
Kent
Tukwila
Federal Way
Highline
Renton
South Seattle

13%
47%
7%
50%
6%
35%
16%
69%
9%
12%
24%
17%
12%
16%
20%
52%
62%
86%
67%
76%
72%
81%
Washingtons student population is growing more diverse each year, but classroom
teachers are still predominantly Caucasian and female. Only 9% of the teachers in
Washington are teachers of color compared with a student population that is 41%
students of color. Every state has a teacher diversity gap, but a 2008 report by
the National Center for Education Statistics, School and Staffing Survey placed
Washington State at 31 out of 50 on its State Teacher Diversity Index 20.
Teacher Preparation and District Recruitment

Building a diverse teacher workforce means boosting enrollment and graduation of
students of color at 4-year colleges and universities, but students of color may be
unprepared for the rigors of college completion. 21 Improving equity, college-ready
standards, access to college and supports for completion allows more students of
color to be viable candidates for both alternate route programs and traditional
teacher preparation programs. In their 2014 study, The Stellar Group identified
colleges and universities as critical partners in increasing diversity in the workplace,
education settings included.22
Over the past two decades, colleges became aware that to recruit more students of
color, they had to bring their services to the community. Research found that what
works for recruiting white students may not work for students of color and that
different cultural and social groups benefit from customized strategies. 23 In an effort
to be culturally sensitive and relevant, some colleges sought local partnerships with
organizations already serving minority communities. Through these partnerships,
20 http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/
21 The Washington Professional Educators Standards Board (PESB) and The Stellar Group (2014). Best
Practices &Successful Programs Improving Recruitment &Retention of Underrepresented Populations,
pp4.
22 Best Practices & Successful Programs Improving Recruitment and Retention of Underrepresented
Populations (2014)
10
community organizations have been able to support families by offering college

readiness programs that include workshops on financial aid, student mentorship,
and career counseling. Similar to other states, Washington offers conditional loans
to teacher candidates that have an Associates or Bachelors degree and are
pursuing a career in education.
While few people of color pursue traditional education tracks at 4-year colleges,
alternative certification and transitional education programs have been instrumental
in drawing career switchers as teachers of color, and tapping paraprofessionals as
viable resources. Teach for America and The New Teacher Projects Teaching Fellows
Initiatives are exemplary alternative routes, and both recruit widely and are highly
selective. Taking a closer look at alternative licensing programs, Nadler and
Peterson (2009) found that 14 of the 16 states to report the race/ethnicity of
licensures to the US Department of Education had a far greater number of people of
color certified alternatively than their overall participation in the teacher workforce
of those states.24 However, teachers of color do not stay in the teacher workforce
long term.
Mid-career changers and paraprofessionals tend to be older than traditional
educators on entry to the teacher workforce. Understanding the need for increased
support for mid-career changers, in 2004 the US Department of Education identified
a suite of best practices and supports to assist these newly minted teaching
professionals. Alternative Route Programs were encouraged to offer a flexible
program design of evening and weekend classes, extensive support services such
as highly trained on-site mentors, ongoing coaching and supervision, and
opportunities for reflection and program improvement. 25
Traditional students also benefit from these supports. A 2012 report by the National
Center for Education Statistics found that only 59% of all new undergraduates in 4
year programs finished within 6 years, with a demographic breakdown of 62%
Caucasian, 69% Asian, 40% African American, 50% Hispanic and 39% Alaska
Native/American.26 Enrollment in pre-college workshops and mentorships along with
on-campus services can provide academic and emotional support for students
managing the challenges of being underrepresented at their college. In addition to
financial difficulties, students of color self-report different college experiences
compared to their Caucasian classmates, often feeling marginalized or encountering
hostility and racism. Creating a culture of inclusion, increasing staff diversity and
23 Pathways to becoming a Teacher in Washington (2014). Best Practices & Successful Programs, pg.
7. Retrieved from http://pathway.pesb.wa.gov/recruitment
24 Ibid, pg 9.
25 Ibid, pg. 10
26 Pathways to becoming a Teacher in Washington (2014). Best Practices & Successful Programs.
Retrieved from http://pathway.pesb.wa.gov/recruitment
11
providing culturally sensitive student supports is imperative in reducing attrition and

establishing a climate where all students are welcome.
Pathways to Teaching in Washington State

In Washington State, prospective teachers pursuing the traditional route as a
classroom teacher must obtain a bachelors degree from a 4-year university. Some
teacher candidate pathways may first pursue an associates degree from a 2-year
community college and then to transfer to a 4- year institution to complete their
education. Candidates can pursue a traditional path or an alternative route such as
Teach for America or the Seattle Urban Residency or Western Washington
Universitys Paraprofessional K-8 Alternative Route Program.
However, all teaching candidates are required to register for and successfully pass
the WEST-B Basic Skills Test and WEST-E Content Knowledge Assessment. Bilingual
candidates are allowed extended time accommodations for the WEST-B and WEST-E
by request only. Some candidates interviewed in the field were not aware of this
accommodation. They mentioned the difficulty in terms of time that it took them to
complete the test.
In 2012-2013, African American and Hispanic pass rates were 69% and 78%,
respectively, compared to 95% for White students.
12
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Diversifying the Educator Workforce DRAFT WORKING PAPER Nov 2015
District Hiring and Recruitment

Research into hiring practices among school districts also found bias in Human
Resources departments. A 2004 Harvard study found that white-sounding names
(like Emily) receive 50% more callbacks for interviews than African-American
sounding names (like Lakisha) 27. Historically, part of the problem can be traced back
to the mid-20th century, when teachers of color working in segregated schools were
denied positions in newly integrated schools. Today, with far more careers open to
people of color, the pool of prospective teachers is considerably different 28.
A paper from the Center for Education, Data & Results 29 found that, in the six WA
State teacher prep programs studied, all else being equal, non-white teaching
candidates were less likely to be employed. The reason is unclear and may be due
to hiring preference or lack of employment opportunities. 30 This work is now being
expanded to look at all Washington State teacher prep programs and link to
employment databases to track where teacher candidates become employed. There
will also be some qualitative work with candidates to learn more about their
employment choices.
Programs to Diversify the Educator Workforce

Washington State Teacher Candidates of Color Data
Overall, there are approximately 2500 new teachers produced annually in
Washington State31. In 2013 286 of the total number certified were teachers of color.
Between the alternative route and teacher prep programs the number of candidates
of color produced in 2013-2014 in Washington State were:
27 Center for American Progress. Teacher Diversity Matters: A State by State Analysis of Teachers of
Color, pp.5 (2011). Retrieved from
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education/report/2011/11/09/10657/teacher-diversitymatters/
28 Ibid pg 6.
29 Knocking on the Door to the Teaching Profession? Modeling the Entry of Prospective Teachers into
the Workforce. Goldhaber, Krieg and Theobald. Center for Education, Data & Research. Economics of
Education Review (2014)
30 Ibid 106-114.
31 http://data.pesb.wa.gov/production
13

Number of Teachers of Color in Selected Programs Compared to All WA

State Teacher Preparation Programs Completing Certificate in 2013-14 32
Seattle
Washingt Martinez Heritag Western WA
All
Teachers
on
Foundati e Univ
Univ Para Pro Teacher
Residency
Teach for on
(HU105 Alt Route
Prep
America
)
Programs
10
15
23
54
15
286
Number of Washington State Teachers by Race and Ethnicity Completing

Certificate in 2013-1433
Asian
Bla
Hispani Native
Pacific
Multi
White
Unkno
ck
c
America Islande
wn
n
r
99
23
156
15
4
106
1831
172
Washington State Teacher Prep/District Programs

Details about Washingtons strongest public, private, university and school district
programs to recruit diverse teacher candidates can be found in Appendix A.
Programs include state-based grants to support grow-your-own and community
recruitment strategies. There are four high school recruitment programs in place
across the state (Renton, Burlington-Edison, Mt Vernon and Tacoma), and only two
of them have been operating for several years with varying degrees of success.
National recruitment efforts by Teach for America have shown stronger success
rates, but acceptance of their model in Washington has been slow. The Seattle
Teacher Residency is beginning its third year of operation with good recruitment and
retention rates, but at high expense and with significant barriers to entry.
Yakimas teacher residency program through Heritage Universitys HU105 Program
has been the most successful in terms of producing high numbers of candidates of
color, but has many of the same barriers to entry that make the program difficult for
low-income candidates. Western Washington University has a program that caters to
paraprofessionals who already have experience in education, but has had financial
14

challenges and local school administrators are unsupportive of releasing their
candidates for training during the school year due to a shortage of bilingual staff in
the classrooms.
Some school districts such as Highline, Tukwila, Kent, Grandview, Mt Vernon, and
Burlington- Edison are strongly committed to improving their recruitment, hiring and
retention strategies to prioritize teachers of color, but it is too soon to see the
effects. Other models, like the Martinez Foundation, provide stronger supports to
existing candidate of color by partnering with university teacher prep programs,
and, while small in size (~ 18 teachers per year) boasts a 100% retention rate.
Other States/Districts Diversity Programs
A review of other states strongest programs to recruit diverse teacher candidates
can be found in Appendix B.
Latinos in Action is designed to support college completion, but because students
are required to mentor and tutor elementary students, many develop an interest in
education. LIA sells its curriculum to interested schools, which then operate
independently. The Teacher Cadet Program in South Carolina and Teach Oregon both
encourage high school students to explore teaching through rigorous coursework.
High Tech High, a public charter school in San Diego, created their own Graduate
School of Education offering a credential, masters degree and classroom training at
one of 13 local charter schools essentially building their own residency program.
In Denver, the district works with the city on broad diversity and inclusion goals that
promote recruitment, longevity and recognition of diverse candidates. In Oakland,
the districts Teach Tomorrow provides support services and pays fees to become a
teacher for those who make a five year commitment. Several Southern states have
similar support programs that provide loan forgiveness and social support.
A promising new group called Educators Rising is trying to build a pipeline with high
school students to encourage them to follow a career in teaching.
Foundation Scholarship Programs
Woodrow-Wilson National Fellowship Foundation
Foundations throughout the country have provided scholarships to increase the
diversity of candidates for teacher education. Established in 1992 34, the Woodrow
Wilson-Rockefeller Brothers Fund Fellowships for Aspiring Teachers of Color has
provided a $30,000 stipend for complete a masters degree in education. Two
fellows are nominated from fifty colleges and selected through a rigorous process
and then provided with a stipend and three years of face-to-face mentoring support
when they enter the classroom. Unfortunately the number in the 2015 cohort (and
34 The program was originally supported by the Rockefeller Brothers Foundation and was transferred
to the Woodrow Wilson Foundation in 2009.
15

final year of the program) is only nine. Since 1992, $8 million has been awarded to
support 400 fellows. The cost for the mentoring, conferences and networking
support (including the mentor stipend) is about $5,000 per year. One of the
challenges for raising money for this national program is that it is considered a
boutique approach with no scaling strategy.
Washington State Achievers Scholarship/College Success Foundation
While the Washington State Achievers Program supported by the Gates Foundation
recruited low-income high school students regardless of their potential college
major, it is of interest here because it is a program in Washington State and many of
its scholarship recipients are students of color. Thus the lessons learned have some
applicability to future programs moving forward. While the Gates Foundation no
longer funds the program, other sources including the state legislature provide
funding support.
Program Overview35
The Washington State Achievers (WSA) program, was created in 2000 and
administered by College Success Foundation (CSF), has produced 1,877 college
graduates to date. It has also provided scholarships to more than 5,000 low-income
students at 16 Washington State high schools 36 as an incentive to both students and
teachers to improve those schools and to enable the scholarship recipients to
complete college and become leaders in Washington State. Achievers come from
diverse families in the lowest third with regard to annual income levels. The
program awarded college scholarships supplemented by mentoring, a summer
college preparatory program on a college campus, and other organized college
preparatory activities (e.g., formal visits to college campuses and parental financial
counseling). WA Achievers come from families that have annual income levels that
are in the lowest third of all families in the state, are selected in the eleventh grade,
must demonstrate strong non-cognitive skills, and have plans to obtain a college
degree. The last cohort of WA Achievers entered college in the fall of 2010.
In addition to the general goal described above, the Washington State Achievers
Scholarship program had four specific objectives:
1. Increase academic achievement, graduation rates, and college enrollment
among students at selected high schools.
2. Identify and reduce financial barriers to college for talented and motivated
low-income students who demonstrate the potential to succeed in college
and who have overcome difficult circumstances, but who, without financial
support and guidance, would not be likely to seek and/or complete a
baccalaureate education.
35 Domestic Scholarship Portfolio, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Paper on the Domestic
Scholarship Portfolio supplies the majority of this write up.
36 High schools were located in Seattle, Highline, Tacoma, Yakima, and Spokane
16

3. Provide mentoring to facilitate successful high school and college completion
and to help ensure academic support is available to Scholars once enrolled in
college.
4. Develop a diverse cadre of college-educated citizens and leaders within
Washington State.
WSA demonstrated that with a guarantee of scholarship funding and targeted
student supports, low-income students can achieve significantly improved high
school graduation and college enrollment rates. College graduation rates are also
improved, but not at the levels shown in high school.
Additionally, WSA demonstrates that scholarship programs can have some limited
positive impacts on the success of students who are not selected to receive
scholarship awards, but are enrolled at the high schools in which the program is
active. In the ten years of its operation, data remained flat, but some positive
impact was discernible, particularly for among Hispanic, Native American, and
African American populations. Between 2002 and 2010 for WSA high schools, the
percentage of students attending college within one year of graduating high school
improved across all racial/ethnic groups, with Hispanic, Native American/Alaskan
Native, and African American students showing the most improvement. By 2010,
African American students went directly to college at nearly the same rates at Asian
students (59.0% and 61.7%, respectively). 37
Lessons Learned
The Role of Student Supports
Given the academic challenges faced by WA Achievers and the relatively limited
supports available from their high schools, WSA invested increased amounts in
support services to aid with students high school completion and successful college
transitions. In 2001, it selected 529 students to become the inaugural cohort of the
Washington State Achievers program. At that time, support services only included a
College Mentor and College Newsletter. By the fifth cohort, the program added
College Prep Advisors (CPAs), Hometown Mentors, a High School Newsletter, a
Parent Newsletter, a four-day summer program, and special services and assistance
for independent students. By Cohort 10, WSA conducted intrusive support for
academically challenged students, including ACCUPLACER testing to determine
students college readiness needs, the implementation of the Higher Education
Readiness and Opportunity (HERO) to reach earlier into the education pipeline
(middle school and then high school), and JumpStart to expose WA Achievers to
college-level remediation prior to postsecondary enrollment. HERO provides
students with college tours, college and career planning. In the last two years they
focus on finding a best fit college and guidance to completing the college
application. Student outcomes improved markedly following the implementation of
these support services. For example, over a four-year period (2008-2011) the
37 BERC, College Success Foundation: Achievers Scholars 10-Year follow-up Study, 2012
17

graduation rate for the same demographic in Washington State was 68-72%,
compared to the HERO graduation rate of 95%.38
The performance Scholars demonstrate at high school, however, is not maintained
in college. This suggests greater emphasis is needed on continuing in college the
same level of high-touch student advising and mentoring services that were made
available to scholars during their high school years.
Findings
Washington States Student Population Demographics Are Rapidly Shifting
but Teachers of Color Remain Low
Forty-three percent of our Washington State students are of non-White race or
ethnicity in 2014. The largest percent 22% is Hispanic/Latino. In the last decade, the
Hispanic/Latino population has doubled in size in Washington. While the percent of
Hispanic/Latino teachers has increased more than other teachers of color, they are
still a small number. Largest gaps between proportions of students and teachers of
color are in ESD 105 (Yakima and Kittitas County area) as well as the Road Map
Project in ESD 121 (South King County area). More emphasis must be placed on
teacher preparation programs that target Hispanics as well as other potential
teachers of color. There are a number of paraprofessionals currently in classrooms
who would benefit from such a program and who are more likely to remain in their
communities to teach after completion of their degree. Heritage and Western
Washington University provide strong potential models.
Research on the Impact of Teachers of Color is Most Promising for the Role
of Mentor
The Center for Education Data & Research (CEDR) paper 39 found that there is a
significant literature that argues that a match between the race/ethnicity of
teachers and students leads to better student outcomes, particularly in high-poverty
environments with significant at-risk student populations. While the impact on
student achievement as measured by test scores in small (effect size ranging from .
01 to .11), the impact on students from non-test-related role modeling effects are
potentially quite important such as subjective assessments and disciplinary actions
by teachers. In addition an earlier paper from CEDR found that non-white teacher
student candidates were less likely to be employed all else equal regardless of
which of the six Washington State teacher prep programs studied, particularly in the
38 College Success Foundation: Washington State Achievers Annual Report, 2012. Cohort comparison
by OSPI.
paper 2015 page 1
18

Puget Sound area. The reason for these results is unclear as it may be due to hiring
preference or different employment opportunities for the candidates. 40
To build on the importance of the teacher as a role model we also include additional
research from John Hatties meta-analyses on factors relating to student
achievement41. He ranks student-teacher relationships as having an effect size of .
72 and with a rank of 11 in terms of impact on student achievement 42. In addition
he also finds teacher credibility as an important influence for student achievement.
Teacher credibility is described is a students perception of a teacher in terms of
trust, competence, dynamism and immediacy. And finally the Gates MET reports 43
highlight the importance and validity of student perceptions in assessing the
effectiveness of teachers. The teachers attitude or belief system sets them apart as
high-effect teachers
Extended Time for Assessment Accommodations
Bilingual candidates are allowed extended time accommodations for the teacher
assessments (WEST-B and WEST-E) by request only. Knowledge of this offering does
not appear to be widespread, gleaned through interviews with teacher
education/preparation program personnel. Making this information known and
widespread could have a large impact on the number of bilingual candidates that
successfully complete these assessments.
Current Small Programs Cannot Grow Large Numbers of Diverse Teachers
Needed
In programs such as the Seattle School District Teacher Residency, stipends are
great incentives (although less than when tuition was also covered) but they do not
provide a sustainable and scalable growth model without high financial input to
support the relatively low output of teacher candidates. While this may work as a
short term strategy to attract diverse candidates, the end result is that the
candidates nationally were found not stay in the classroom beyond several years.
There have been a number of scholarship programs that run for about 10-20 years,
but after a while the priorities change for the foundations and they stop supporting
them. Most of these programs are small in size. These small programs have done
40 Knocking on the Door to the Teaching Profession? Modeling the Entry of Prospective Teachers into
the Workforce. Goldhaber, Krieg and Theobald. Center for Education, Data & Research. Economics of
Education Review (2014) 106-114.
41 John Hattie Visible Learning for Teachers, Routledge, NY 2012

42 John Hattie Visible Learning, Routledge, NY 2009
43 Gates MET Reports
19

some good work in recruiting and supporting teachers of color, focusing on race
issues that these teachers face as they go to work in districts. Long term outcomes
of some of the national programs mentioned in the paper could not be determined.
A bright spot has been that the number of Hispanic teachers has increased across
Washington State with the largest numbers coming from Heritage College and
Washington State University. The total number of teacher of color who earned a
certificate in 2013-14 was 286. Of those, the largest race & ethnic was Hispanic at
54%.
Financial Hardships Impact College Students
The high cost of tuition at state and private universities invariably effects low
income diverse candidates ability to matriculate to a greater degree than their
Caucasian peers. Many of these students are averse to taking on large amounts of
debt.
Masters Bump May Not Appeal to Specialized Diverse Teacher Candidates
With the cost of living in Washington State higher than the national average,
pursuing 2 years of education to receive an additional $550/mo. gross, may not
provide the ROI that diverse STEM teacher candidates could command from an
advanced degree in a different field. A $6,500 Masters bump in annual pay does
not provide a just noticeable difference in lifestyle when compared to cost of living
in the state. There is extensive literature documenting that masters degree do not
serve as indicators of more effective teaching, and though alternate route programs
are conduits for would-be educators to receive their masters degree and teaching
certifications, what ends up occurring is an inflation in demand for masters
degrees. The Martinez Foundation scholarship program has been very successful,
but the number of candidates supported is small.
A Culture of Inclusion is Key
Diverse teachers and teacher candidates consistently communicated to their
respective programs that having their decision-making input, valued was a key
driver to their success and retention within the program. While Teach for America
leads the charge in its variety of diversity initiatives, The Martinez Foundation and
Latinos in Action are also successful models. Denver Public Schools attention to
inclusion has also provided promising best practices. Highline Public Schools has
also broadened its definition of diversity and created a set of goals and metrics to
chart its progress. Many teachers of color have reported that they struggle in a
school district culture that with few teachers and leaders of color. Teacher of color
report leaving schools due to working conditions which limit their collective voice
and professional autonomy.44 The Center for Education, Research & Data is exploring
this and other issues in Washington state around a diverse teacher workforce.
44 The State of Teacher Diversity in American Education. Albert Shanker Institute Fall 2015
20

Building a Teacher Pipeline from Middle School/High School through
College and in Districts
There is potential to build a pipeline by attracting and mentoring young students to
pursue a career in education by building programs that act has navigators to help
them choose courses, spend time working with a teacher in classrooms, take dual
college credit courses, and assist them with ongoing counseling, test taking
strategies, financial aid and jobs at they move from high school into college. The
Latinos in Action (based in Utah primarily but Burlington Edison School District has a
program), Mt. Vernon School District partnership with Skagit Valley Community
College and Western Washington University and South Carolina Cadet Program
provide examples of pipeline programs. The new national Educator Rising Program
is creating state chapters to focus on this issue although they do not have an
exclusive focus on diversity. In addition paraprofessionals need clear career ladders
in districts to enter the teaching workforce, similar to our proposed PNW Early
Learning strategy for child care providers.
Overcoming the Educator Stigma
Young people of color and from high poverty backgrounds who are college ready,
are often uninterested in teaching as a career due to their own negative schooling
experience and the prospects of entering a profession where the beginning teacher
salaries are low.
Theory of Change, Proposed Outcomes and

Recommendations
Theory of Change
We posit that increasing the percent of high quality teachers of color to 30% by
2030 in selected regions to serve as role models and develop a rigorous, relevant
and culturally responsive pedagogy that will ultimately build the connections with
students of color increasing student attendance, positive school culture and student
achievement. All students benefit from having diverse role models. Below is our
Theory of Change Model
21

22

To reach these outcomes, we propose to increase the number of high quality

teachers of color over twelve years through the following levers:
Advocating for higher early career teacher salaries and defined career
pathways.
Highlighting best practices in school district recruitment, mentoring, and
retention through building pipelines of current students and community
residents of color who have an interest in teaching as well as develop ways to
support current teachers of color to succeed in the classroom and as leaders in
the building.
Supporting navigation assistance for cohorts of college students using the
current programs in Washington that build on cohorts that support the
challenges and opportunities of being a person of color in a teacher prep
program and school building.
Supporting teacher prep traditional and alternative programs through
scholarships for paraprofessionals, child care educators 45, and high school
direct college students that are considered a prestigious award similar to the
Martinez Scholarships or Gates Millennium Scholars.
Developing middle and high school student pipeline programs that give dual
high school/college credit to high school students
Summary and Next Steps

We believe that increasing the diversity in the educator workforce in Washington
State to reflect a similar diversity in our student population is a moral imperative. To
date, thanks to help from researchers, partners, and educator colleagues, we have
exemplars in Washington State and across the nation that can inform our thinking.
We spend the time over the next six months with key leaders and thought partners
digging deeper into forming more specific recommendations and actions steps. A
final step will be to discuss with Foundation leadership the potential for a portfolio
around this effort.
45 The child care workforce pathway to teaching would be connected to our Early Learning strategy
work.
23

Appendix A. Summary of Washington State

Diversity Programs
Alternative Route Grants: In the summer of 2015, the PESB released an
Alternate Route Block Grants request for proposals. The grants will provide
funding for preparation program, districts, and candidate scholarships to support
alternate route programs engaging grow-your-own-teacher strategies to address
district need. Approximately twenty applications are expected the fall of 2015 and
awards will be made in the winter of 2016. Grants will be offered on two year
commitments through the biennium and could be awarded up to $420,000 per year.
The Special Projects Small Grant: Improving the Efforts to Recruit and
Retain Underrepresented Populations in Teacher Preparation Programs is a
state-funded grant opportunity for regionally accredited colleges/universities
seeking to establish teacher education programs. Approved proposals typically
receive a PESB budget allocation of between $500-$10,000 dollars although there is
no specific set amount for grants. A requirement for all grantees is that their
proposals align with the PESBs research surrounding recruitment of qualified
underrepresented teacher candidates. The PESB awarded four grants, all focused on
recruiting diverse candidates into teacher prep programs. Reports are not yet
available.
The Recruiting Washington Teachers from High School (RWT) grant supports
recruitment of diverse prospective educators from high school. The RWT program
was instituted in 2007 and serves as a pipeline to support high school students
interested in pursuing careers in education. All RWT programs must include
partnerships of two and/or four year preparation programs, high schools,
community based organizations, parents/guardians/families and business partners. 46
There are currently four designated sites operating: 1) Careers in Education Renton
High School, 2) Latinos in Action- Burlington-Edison High School, 3) Mt. Vernon
School District- Mt. Vernon High School (Planning Year Grant), and 4) Tacoma School
District- Lincoln High School (Planning Year Grant). Two programs that have been
operating for a few years are highlighted below.
Careers in Education: Renton High School
Renton HSs Careers in Education Program is the longest running RWT initiative,
established in 2007. The high school partnered with Central Washington University
to deliver its educator education program to high school students. A former
administrator of the program described the first 2 years of the program being more
effective than subsequent years. The program was headed by one of Rentons CTE
46 Professional Educator Standards Board Washington (2013). Recruiting Washington Teachers Grant
Study 2007-2013. Retrieved from http://pathway.pesb.wa.gov/recruiting-washington-teachers
24

teachers who managed recruitment and programming for candidates. Candidates
for the program were selected by school guidance counselors. The recruitment
season commenced during the spring semester prior to each fall cohort. The
program operated on a 501(c)(3) grant. The program was funded variously from
PESB grants, fundraising and district allocations. Currently the program relies
heavily on fundraising. The program pioneered The DREAM Project, which supported
1st generation college students that wanted to go to college. For two years, the
program received funding from The Gates Foundation to support a saturation plan
that allowed all juniors and seniors to access to two years of college readiness
services that included college counseling, financial aid workshops, and career
planning. Fewer candidates have shown interest in the program in recent years.
Program Design
Recruitment - School counselors are leveraged as resources with the goal to recruit
underrepresented students in teaching and reflect the schools diversity.
Summer Academy - Participants take part in teacher preparation professional
development that includes 15 hours of practicum experience. Participants also visit
CWUs campus.
Academic Year - Teacher Preparation, 40 hours of practicum experience, high school
and college planning.
Higher Education - Academic counseling and tracking, AP credits for college
Source: RWT Grant Study: 2012-2013 Program Year Update47
Successes include: of the 49 students in the program from 2011 through 2013, 92%
of student graduates from the first 2 cohorts (08-09 and 09-10) have been tracked,
of which 96% (27 students) are currently enrolled in higher education institutions
(55% are enrolled in 2-year community colleges and 45% in 4-year
colleges/universities). In addition, on-time graduation rates have been between 93%
and 100%. Challenges include a change in programmatic leadership which impacted
the quality of the program.
Latinos in Action- Burlington-Edison High School
Latinos in Actions (LIA), based in Utah, has 100 programs including one in the
Burlington- Edison school district. The programs aims are to empower Latino youth
through culture, service, leadership and education for the purpose of graduating
from college.48 Enrollment has been relatively steady over the course of its 6-year
history, trending around 20 participants (9 juniors, 10 seniors). The participant
population is 100% Latino and tends to be bilingual or trilingual. Over the past 6
years, the program has produced on-time graduation candidates about 90% of the
time, and the majority of students attend college on scholarship. Students are
groomed to be educators, but also advocates for Latino educational and social
47 Professional Educator Stands Board (2013). Recruiting Washington Teachers Grant Study 20122013 Program year Update, pp23-24. Retrieved from http://www.pesb.wa.gov/pesb-programs/grantprograms/rwt
48 Professional Educator Standards Board Washington (2013). Recruiting Washington Teachers.

Retrieved from http://pathway.pesb.wa.gov/recruiting-washington-teachers
25

concerns in the community. LIA partners with Skagit Valley College to create a
pipeline for students to matriculate from high school to the community college with
a goal for students to continue on to Western Washington University or another 4
year college/university. The program offers a high level of support for students
through a myriad of partnerships.
Program Design
Recruitment: LIA is offered as an honors course that students must apply for to
participate. Students are required to be bilingual, and maintain a minimum GPA of
2.5 to remain in the class. Students must also express a commitment to working in
schools with children.
Academic Year: Coursework focusing on educational equity, professionalism, child
development, culturally relevant teaching and strategies for teaching math and
literacy. A weekly reflective seminar and daily journal on learnings and experiences
is also required.
Leadership Experience: 40 hours of classroom experience, participation in after
school tutoring program. Students also participate in state level organizations like
Latino Educational Achievement Program (LEAP) and Secondary Education for
Migrant Youth (SEMY).
Higher Education: Participants visit colleges, are awarded 3 college credits, and
receive support in applying for scholarships. A variety of other wrap around services
are provided such as skill training and job placement, health care, and tutoring.
2009-2010
22
(4 juniors, 18
seniors)
Latinos in Action Track Record

Total # of Students
2010-2011
2011-2012
19
21
(9 juniors, 19
(9 juniors, 12
seniors
seniors)
2012-2013
19
(9 juniors, 10
seniors)
In 2011, 89% of participants went on to attend a community college with 80% of

them on scholarship. Just one year later, 100% of students went on to community
college with 100% of them receiving scholarships totaling $284,600. The vast
majority (~90%) of students are 1 st generation college students. Though the
number of candidates pursuing education are fairly low, high school staff in the
district feel that the federal DREAM ACT could spur more students pursuing careers
in education. A recent survey of participants found that between 2011 and 2013,
40% to 50% of students are interested in pursuing careers in education.
Success include: from 2011-2013, with the support of the RWT Grant, the BE School
District now funds to ensure that the program is in place regardless of changes in
leadership; the district also funds the transportation needs of students as they
commute from their school to the elementary school to complete their tutoring
assignments; and, the model has recently been adopted statewide. Challenges
include: LIA students do not all reach the classroom due to citizenship status,
language difficulty and financial need; and lack of funding for college remains the
primary obstacle for many LIA students.
26

Public/Private Partnerships
Teach for America (TFA)
TFA has had a presence in Washington since 2011, but their footprint and cohort
size is considerably smaller than in other states, although their cohorts have
steadily increased in size. Teach for America has a successful model for developing
a robust pipeline of educators. However, their goal is not teacher retention in the
classroom, but rather getting fellows involved in the education sector as leaders
with the classroom as an entry point. TFA has launched the careers of many
education entrepreneurs, consultants, district leaders, and teachers.
2011
12
Washington State TFA Cohorts

2012
2013
13
23
2014
27
Successes: Recruitment & Retention

TFA is a recruitment powerhouse nationally. For the past seven years, TFA (national)
made a strategic pivot in its recruitment efforts and as a result, they have seen
their diversity numbers steadily rise. A few of their best practices are below:
Established a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) national
recruitment team that solely focuses on recruiting candidates from these
institutions.
Partnering with HBCUs to sponsor campus events
Participating in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Initiative
which allows them to recruit undocumented students at Cal State and provide
resources necessary to enter the teaching profession.
Increased Native American and Pacific Islander communications (AI/PI make
up 6-7% of TFA teachers compared to the national average of 1.5%)
Diversity initiatives that keep alum engaged. (Corps members of Color
Summit and Alums of Color Summit)
Hometown Initiative: a joint initiative with the Hawaii regional team to target
Native Hawaiian college students who want to remain in Hawaii for college to
teach.
Retention
The 2011 and 2012 alumni cohorts (in their 3rd and 4 th year of teaching) have a
combined retention of 90% (23/25) with 50% identifying as teachers of color. Teach
for America attributes its success with teacher retention to the fact that its
workshops do not pull punches when disclosing social equity, classism, community
development and racism. TFA workshops address the impacts that identity markers
have on how teachers engage peers, students, and their families, they encourage
their cohort members to engage in socially responsible acts. Acknowledging the
diversity of their cohort, TFA supports many affinity groups and provides forums and
workshops for group members. In addition, TFA grounds its approach to pedagogy in
teaching culturally responsible curriculum. By exalting the need for teachers to be
champions for their students in the community as well as in the classroom, TFA
27

prepares their fellows for roles as teacher and education advocates. To this end, the
organization does not approach teacher retention as the ultimate goal, but rather
impassioned individuals working in education in any capacity. A representative from
TFA defined their mission as one of building a diverse corps of education leaders,
not just teachers.
Both the 2011 and 2012 WA TFA cohorts saw a loss of one teacher. TFA operates at
a comparatively high cost, allocating $56,000/fellow with $3,000 of those
expenditures going towards fellows salary support and the supplemental $53,000
going toward recruitment and the salary of an instructional coach who oversees the
7-8 weeks of summer training, weekly professional learning community workshops
and weekend professional development for the cohort. Each Instructional Coach
manages ~25 fellows. Washington State has ~50 TFA teachers and 2 Instructional
Coaches. University of Washington tuition is not paid directly through TFA but
fellows are eligible for a 2-year TFA Education award of $11,000 dispersed evenly
over upon successful completion of each year in the program. Students generally
apply for the education award and take out a FAFSA loan to pay the difference.
Fellows do not pay interest on this loan during the 2 years they are in the program
by applying for loan forbearance while in school.
Funding
TFAs national model allows them to charge school districts $3,000-$5,000 to place
a fellow in their district, however, current Washington State policies prohibit them
from charging districts a fee for their teachers so TFA is relying on charter schools
as an immediate revenue resource in the state. TFA has partnerships with Green Dot
and Summit Charter Management Organizations where the schools will fund TFAs
operating expenses at $5,000/ fellow). TFA plans to partner with the Grandview
School District which has agreed to pay the fee for fellows pending change in state
policy.
With regard to school districts, the goal would be that they initially fund 15%-20% of
the costs per fellow, ultimately reaching a 5- year goal of districts paying the $5,000
price tag. Grandview is currently the only district planning to participate.
$56, 000: Cost per fellow
$3,000: Fellow, salary assistance

$53,000: Instructional Coach salary
responsible for professional
development, trainings and resources.
$15,000: University of Washington

Tuition
$11,000: Americorps Education Award

(over the course of 2 years)
$5,000: FAFSA
Districts (pending): Goal provide 20%
of funding costs in first year with 5 year
plan of supporting $5,000/fellow
Revenue Streams
28

Success Data Points
75% of incoming TFA teachers identify as people of color or come from low
income background.
The University of Washington is the seventh largest contributor to Teach for
America.
Strong focus on race and poverty issues in community that teachers will
serve in; affinity groups for teachers of color.
Experience as a teacher is immediate, along with one year certification
program through the University of Washington Accelerated Certification for
Teachers (U-Act)
Challenges include: strong resistance by the union to TFA corps members and
Seattle Public Schools declined to participate after three years.
The Seattle Teacher Residency
The STR seeks to provide quality educators in high need communities,
predominantly communities of color in the Road Map District. To be considered,
candidates must hold an undergraduate degree. Successful completion of the
program provides a masters degree in education from the University of
Washington, along with a teaching credential. Residents must successfully pass
their masters coursework and pass the WEST-B in addition to completing their
residency year and summer training (14 months).
Recruitment and Retention
Seattle Teacher Residency Cohort Three Recruiting Report 4/10/2015
Cohort One
Cohort Two
Cohort Three
(2013-14)
(2014-15)
(2015-16)
Number of Residents 25 Gen Ed
25 Gen Ed, 7
25 Gen Ed, 8
SPED
SPED
*exact cohort
still being
determined
% Residents of
55%
32%
54% (offered)
Color
Candidate Aid
Paid tuition to
Stipend
Stipend, financial
UW and
planning
stipend
assistance
Source: Prepared by Christy Giles, STR Director of Admissions and Recruiting
The Seattle Teacher Residency currently has 1 cohort that has successfully
completed their residency year and currently are employed in Seattle Public
Schools. It is worth noting that the Urban Teacher Residency United (UTRU), the
umbrella organization for STR, has a national retention average of 86% at 3 years
and 85% at 5 years for its graduates. Currently, STRs founding cohort has a
retention rate of 70% with 53% of those graduates being people of color.
29

Coinciding with discontinuation of paid tuition, the Seattle Teacher Residency saw a
marked in applicants from diverse backgrounds. In response to the decline in
enrollment, recruiters sought non-traditional candidates in nontraditional
recruitment venues, like community centers. In addition to expanding their scope
with regard to candidate profile and candidate venues, the STR increased their
contact with diverse candidate populations, recognizing that many diverse
communities require high touch recruiting.
The Seattle Teacher Residency has adopted a message of transparency when
engaging prospective applicants about the financial responsibilities and rigor of the
program. Residents are not offered scholarships due to the high monetary value of
the stipend which surpasses the majority of UWs education scholarship offerings.
Due to program commitments, residents are discouraged from pursuing secondary
jobs and, as a result, rely on loans to supplement the stipend and support
themselves during their residency. In addition to retaining quality teachers, a benefit
to promoting a 5-year commitment to teaching in a high need content area in an
underrepresented school is that it allows residents to qualify for student loan
forgiveness of up to $5,000 for elementary endorsed residents and up to $17,500
for special education endorsed educators.
Funding
STR currently has an operating budget of $1.5M through public and private funding.
Y1 and Y2 of the program was funded through philanthropy, the current year is
being funded through a mix of sources. In its inception, a 5-year plan was developed
with the school district to take on a larger financial burden for the program with a
forecasted 33% split by the three funding sources for sustainability. Coming out of
its second year, with a cohort of 32 candidates, 33 mentors, at approximately $45K
per resident spending. The 5-year goal of the STR is that the 2017-2018 cohort
include approximately 60 residents, with greater retention. To be sustainable, the
residency would need to an annual budget of $2M while achieving its goal of an
even split of 33% from its three funding sources. The ideal cohort size would be 100
residents as a minimum with the retention rate mirroring the UTRUs retention
record of 85% retention of residents at 3 years and beyond.
$45, 455: Cost per fellow
Revenue Streams
$16,500: Stipend
$3,500: Mentor stipend
$25,455: Professional Dev, Health
Insurance (UW),Office Infrastructure
Districts: 20% or $300K
Federal: 20% or 300K
Private: 60% or $900K
Successes include: improved community outreach strategies resulting in larger

applicant pool for current cohort; and, leveraging, minority social groups,
instructional aids and teachers as sources for applicants.
30

Challenges include: high touch recruitment required to recruit diverse candidates;
retention difficulties due to residents financial need; recruiting applicants interested
in special education instruction; retaining diverse candidates with large financial
obligations; educating candidates around financial literacy regarding preparation for
the residency; and, non-white candidates meeting financial, academic and WEST-B
requirements to complete the residency program.
Private Programs
The Martinez Foundation
The description in the subsequent sections refers to The Martinez Foundations
operational model prior to 6/4/2015. On this date, the Martinez Foundation and
Technology Access Foundation (TAF) have entered an MOU agreeing to merge the
two foundations. Several Martinez Foundation board members are joining the TAF
board to ensure the integrity of The Martinez Fellowship. The Martinez Fellowship is
expected to continue but at a smaller scale of 18 fellows for the upcoming year. The
Martinez Foundation has guaranteed support for the program transfer to TAF for two
years.
The Martinez Foundation is a teacher education program that partners with nine
university based teacher education programs that combine a masters degree and
certification in the state of Washington. In addition to their support of teacher
candidates, they continue to provide high quality professional development and
coaching for the life of their career. Though not a teacher prep program, Martinez
Foundation has supported and retained 94 fellows of color in the Washington State
Workforce. To boost teacher diversity, The Martinez Foundation grants scholarships
to candidates of color pursuing their Masters in education who have agreed to
commit a minimum of 3 years teaching in an underrepresented Washington State
school. Fellows enjoy access to 1:1 coaching, professional development seminars as
well as the foundations annual conference.
The Martinez Foundation at a Glance:
Retention
100% of their fellows during the first 2 years of teaching.
97% of Martinez Scholarship recipients complete their
Masters Programs.
Overall, 92% retention of all of fellows throughout the
program.
Candidate
100% candidates of color (42% Latino, 8% Afr. Amer., 17% Asian,
demographics 22% Biracial, 8% multiracial, 3% Native American).
Scope
24 districts
9 university partners
+$850K awarded in scholarships through corporate support
(i.e. Alaska Airlines, Wells Fargo, Safeco, Seattle Mariners
Care, Columbia Bank, Heritage Bank, Redapt, Washington
Education Association)
31

Source: Data reported from The Seattle Foundation and Martinez Fellows 49
The Martinez Foundation currently partners with nine teacher preparation/residency

programs including, Seattle University, Seattle Pacific University, Pacific Lutheran
University, Heritage University, Washington State, Western Washington, UW-Seattle,
UW-Tacoma, and UW-Bothell. The Martinez Foundation has successfully partnered
with and placed fellows in 24 school districts in Central Washington, as well as all of
the Road Map districts.
The Martinez Foundation can serve 25 fellows at capacity. Entering their 6 th year,
the program shows a relatively steady growth trajectory. Foundation leadership
shared that with the exception of their 2009 cohort, all of their fellows are still
classroom teachers. With a relatively small cohort size, the program is effective is
managing a very lean model compared to programs of a similar budget like Latinos
in Action.
Martinez Fellows
2009
12
2 PhDs
2 Principals
1 Teaching
Abroad
2010
16
100%
retained
2011
8
100%
retained
2012
15
100%
retained
2013
20
100%
retained
2014
23
100%
retained
2015
18
Though the Martinez Foundation supports a small cohort, its output is similar to that
of other programs. With a substantially smaller budget, the program is able to run
more effectively as they do not offer stipends or large scholarships but rather serve
as an added support for prospective teacher candidates at their respective postsecondary institutions. All fellows are interviewed for candidacy for the fellowship
through their partner institutions, who promote the program to their education
majors of color. The interview is highly qualitative and addresses a candidates
cultural sensitivity with the goal that fellows pledge to teach three years in
Washington in a diverse school setting. Leadership believes the emphasis on
inclusion affects retention: Its all about providing candidates with a safe place to
grow. They often share that in their districts, they do not feel like they are being
included in discussions, but here, they know that they are being included. They are
surrounded by colleagues and peers that are 100% people of color.
Funding
Annual Budget
~$500K
49The Seattle Foundation and The Martinez Foundation (2015). At a Glance: The Martinez Foundation.
Retrieved from http://www.seattlefoundation.org/npos/Pages/TheMartinezFoundation.aspx?
bv=nposearch and The Martinez Foundation http://themartinezfoundation.org/our-partners/universitypartners-2/
32

Per Candidate
Spending
Program
Funding
Scholarships
Total budget last year was $480,000 which represents gifts from
private funders. There is no other revenue source except in kind
donations from private individuals and companies.
~$2500 (this model doesnt approach spending on a cost per
candidate approach but the proposed figure was an estimate
provided by Martinez Foundation Leadership.
100% privately funded. Operations, rental space and facilities
services are provided free of charge by Master Builders
Association of Seattle per board member donation. Agreement is
reviewed on an annual basis.
~$5,000 (varies based on need) but all candidates receive
FAFSA. University partner matches 1:1 minimum. The Martinez
selects fellows already enrolled as education majors at partner
institutions
Success include: 100% retention of fellows, ongoing professional development (6

Saturday Seminars, 1 4-day retreat at Islandwood), public speaking engagements,
inclusive colloquium model, and it is a lean model. Challenges include: deciding to
scale or maintain the current size, capacity is cohorts of 25, and growth, may
negatively impacted the model if scaled, and other uncertainties after merger.
College/University Programs
Heritage Universitys HU-105 Project
The HU105--a unique partnership between ESD 105, Heritage University, and seven
school districts in the Yakima Valleyis a residency-based teacher preparation
program trains candidates to become teachers in three (graduate students) to four
semesters (undergraduate students). Working in teams of four, candidates are
placed in a local elementary or middle school as full-time practicing teachers,
Monday through Thursday, and gather for content seminars each Friday. The
immediate, real world classroom experience starting on day one provides invaluable
insight into effective classroom management and the team approach not only
provides mentoring and collaboration experience but enhances learning for both the
candidates and the students in the classroom.
There are 107 candidates in the program, 51% are candidates of color, 35% are
bilingual. Heritage University is a large source of teacher candidates of color in
Washington. There are 39 core teachers who take on the teams of 3 teacher
candidates each. Heritage faculty that participate include specialists in ELA,
Mathematics, Science, ELL and Special Education. The faculty spend time in the
buildings as well as teach the Friday seminars. After graduation, 90% of new
teachers stay in the community.
The federal government (USDOE) provided a five year grant of $9.3 million to cover
most expenses including staff, stipends graduate students, and stipends for
mentors will end this year. To keep the program self-sustaining after the grant, it
must attain 50% of its operating revenue from fees and tuition by reaching 120
33

candidates to be self-sufficient, which they may do with their next cohort. A recent
change in leadership at the Dean and Assistant Dean level, however, may affect the
continuity of the program.
Top successes include the following: candidates are from the communities they will
ultimately serve; mentor teachers get additional teachers in the classroom and
ability to reflect deeply on their practices; candidates can serve as subs, candidates
have a full year of hands-on teaching experiences, candidates have peers in the
classroom for support; and, to date, evaluation data shows positive impact on
student growth.
Challenges include: lack of retention data, some candidates have trouble taking and
passing the basic skills entry test and the exit test; it is difficult financially for lowincome candidates to go through the program; the colleges assessment instrument
to determine candidate performance is very complicated though aligned to the
Danielson instructional model which the district uses; faculty are not always well
aligned with what the teachers in the schools are teaching (e.g. science faculty use
science kits that a district may not use and have not yet started integrating Next
Gen Science into seminar teaching); districts are not able to pay a stipend to
parapros going through the program (although Richland is trying to work out with
their union); Grandview district staff did not see much demand for their parapros to
go through the HU105 program; and, turnover in Heritage University College of
Education leadership has led to some question about whether the program will
continue.
Program Costs:
Annual Budget
Per Pupil Spending (projected for 120
candidates)
Tuition Costs
Financial Assistance
$1.1M
~$9,200
$30K, traditional FAFSA support.
Students receive $20K in
scholarships/grants/loans
Western Washington University

In an attempt to foster a more diverse teacher candidate pipeline, Western
Washington University is targeting two populations, high school students and
paraprofessionals.
Paraprofessionals (Instructional Assistants): Alternate Route K-8 &
ELL/Bilingual
Approved in 2012 and established in 2013, this was the first cohort of Westerns
Pathways to Teaching (PTT): Alternative Route to Certification Program. It was
designed to support working paraeducators to become certified in Elementary
Education (K-8) with an ELL/Bilingual Endorsement, while candidates continued to
34

work in their school contexts. Of the 15 candidates, 11 are bilingual, 10 Latino, and
nearly all are first generation college students, all who work in the communities in
which they live. The candidates have 3-16 years of experience and represent six
districts in varied roles as instructional assistants.
The program supports prospective Alternate Route 1 and 2 candidates. To reflect its
student demographic, they prioritize candidates who are bilingual and have
connections to the communities they serve. Candidates participate in a competency
based curriculum that centers on their experience. Upon completing the program,
candidates receive a BA in Language, Literacy & Cultural Studies along with a
Teaching Certificate with Endorsements in K-8 and ELL / Bilingual Education. The
program attributes some of its success to the intensive case management and
individual education plans that each candidate receives. Mentor teachers are
assigned to IAs during both years of the program. For program acceptance,
candidates are nominated by their principal and they must commit to matriculating.
Six districts agreed to take on WWUs IA teaching initiative (Bellingham, Mount
Vernon, Burlington Edison, Ferndale, Mount Baker & Nooksack Valley) and have
MOUs to ensure terms and expectations for WWU, districts, and superintendents.
Districts commit $5000/candidate to provide substitutes when IAs are student
teaching.
WWUs alternate route program caters to working paraprofessionals, reducing the
need to rely on loans. WWU offers a two year program (7 quarters) to support
certificate attainment for paraprofessionals. Their alternate route program is
currently in its second year with 2013-2014 serving as an assessment year. The
program receives 30% state funding with 70% of funding coming from tuition.
Additional funding from a $50K grant from the provost served as startup funding
(37,630 in Y1 and 13,950 in Y2). To account for the funding not met by revenues,
WWU used tuition to plug the supplementary funding for Y1 and Y2 with $105,706
and $121,451, respectively. Currently the program is supporting their first cohort of
15 students though they initially started with 16 candidates, and 60% are people of
color (see Appendix 7).
Annual Budget
Per Pupil Spending

Financial Assistance
Projected: $287,445
$231,130
(AY2014),
$277,427
(AY2015)
$38,460
$8500 toward candidate tuition. Model
caters to working paras.
$960 test expenses
$5,000 release time for candidates to
teach
Benefits include: paras provide a wealth of soft skills experience that new teachers
tend to lack (i.e. cultural understanding and differentiation abilities);
35

paraprofessionals bring an average of 4-16 years of experience in education to the
program.
Challenges include: small program, high cost; difficulty implementing a small rural
model instead of an urban model (15 candidates from 6 districts); school
administrators unsupportive of releasing paras for teacher prep programming;
providing quality support to students and parasensuring that students are left well
cared for when paraprofessionals are required to attend teacher prep
programming;; WEST-B exam is exceptionally difficult for bilingual candidates due to
timed structure
High School Students: Maestros para el Pueblo
Maestros para el Pueblo models the Latinos in Action model of supporting minorities
in pursuing post-secondary education. Maestros takes its cues from the BurlingtonEdison structure of the LIA program rather than the Utah format. The program, in its
first year currently supports 35 candidates in its cohort. The program provides an
additional support for students transitioning to college at Skagit Valley Community
College and Western Washington. It is too early to determine successes and one
identified challenge is that funding for the program is currently running at a deficit
after just 2 years.
School Districts
Districts have an important role in the recruitment and retention of a diverse
educator workforce. Districts can gather data on the diversity of the school district
staff, set goals to increase diversity, and review and improve the status of the
working conditions for their teachers of color and other diverse staff to ensure
effective retention. Efforts can include differentiated professional development and
additional support in schools with more challenging student populations. 50 Below
are two large school districts, Highline and Denver Public Schools that have
addressed these issues in different ways.
Highline Public Schools in Washington State
Highline School District has committed to being a culturally-responsive organization.
The district is holding itself accountable by an indicator which examines how the
district recruits, retains, and promotes a diverse, highly qualified staff at every level
of the school district. Similar to Denver (described below), they have a defined
diversity through a broad definition beyond race/ethnicity, gender, disability and
vets status to also include language, socio-economic status and sexual orientation.
After realizing that recruitment fairs were ineffective, they will focus on multi-year
strategies and year-round recruitment as well as ways to track data at the time of
application, interview and hire. Thus they have implemented several new diversity
recruitment strategies which include:
50 Recruiting and Retaining Educators of Color Audra Wilson et al. Albert Shanker Institute July 2015.
36

Building diverse pipelinesstudent teachers, university partnerships,

community based organizations, pathways to teaching for paraprofessionals,
employee referral program, and a long-term grow your own strategy
Expanded marketing- marketing materials highlighting diversity and
teacher profile video, established social media presence
Early hiring and efficiency expanded early cadre hiring, process
improvements such as streamline reference checks and designated interview
days, redesigned selection process and teacher profile
Goal setting & data tracking set and monitoring diversity recruitment
goals and milestones, regular check in and strategy review, analysis of
selection practices for potential bias, new data tracking systems, and end of
the year analysis
District Successes: While 76% of Highline students identify as non-white, only

12% of the classroom teachers do. Highline is making a concerted effort to recruit a
more diverse applicant pool. This year 23% of all teachers were diverse and 27% of
those hired identify as non-white. Most of that success was due to their work to hire
early (starting in February), creating a central cadre of talent that principals can
then draw on for hires. The work in Highline is still new and retention numbers will
be important to watch, but they have identified some important strategies for
increasing diversity.
37

Appendix B. Summary of Out of State Diversity

Programs
Latinos in Action (Utah and other States)
Latinos in Action is a college-readiness program designed to increase the number of
Latinos in post-secondary education. LIA does not encourage its students to pursue
concentrations in education. Rather, students are required to tutor and mentor
children at a partnering local elementary school as a means of cultivating a sense of
stewardship. As a result, some students develop an interest in pursuing education in
post-secondary. Though one program supports Latino pursuit of post-secondary
education while the other supports Latinos pursuing careers in education and
service, the two program objectives align. With the goal of increasing teacher
diversity, LIA provides a foundation of theory, pedagogy, education politics and
youth mentorship that boosts interest in education careers. Students that enroll in
LIA-Burlington Edison receive college credit for coursework.
At its inception in 2005, Latinos in Action was designed as a high school honors
course but later evolved into a nonprofit in 2010. LIA operates on an annual budget
of $500,000. LIA sells its curriculum to member schools for $500 which provides
access to the LIA brand, curriculum, and one day-long teacher training seminar.
Schools then operate autonomously. Currently, 80% of the teachers currently
managing the curriculum are white. LIA leadership recognizes this disparity but
maintain that school districts remain responsible for hiring. LIA teachers are
assigned and paid through their respective school districts to teach the course.
Charters: High Tech High (San Diego)
In California, charter schools have been around for over two decades. In 2000, High
Tech High in San Diego, California spent 4 years crafting a home grown District
Intern Program, the following year they received approval to develop an Induction
Program and a year later High Tech High was developing their own Masters degree
and credentialing programs.
The Masters Degree program allowed two offerings, Master of Education in Teacher
Leadership and a Master of Education in School Leadership. High Tech Highs
Graduate School of Education (GSE) typically brings in around $100,000 each year
in revenue from tuition which only covers about 10% of $1,000,000 in
operation/administrative/salary expenses. Additionally, it brings in $700,000 in
revenue from consultative services and workshops. 51 The GSE is also funded
through philanthropic giving to plug the additional funding needs.
Though successful in establishing a home-grown accreditation and teacher
education process, GSE is seeking new approaches to develop quality teachers. GSE
consolidated their two Masters programs into a single program that offers two
51 Arnett, Thomas (2015). Clayton Christenson Institute: Startup Teacher Education, pp8.
38

concentrations52, reducing operating expenses. High Tech Highs next steps include
pursuing regional accreditation which would allow the development of a one-year,
full-time teacher education program. Students would earn a preliminary credential
and a Masters degree at the GSE and then complete the student-teaching
requirement at one of the 13 High Tech High charter schools. 53 This framework
allows prospective teachers with a year to work in a High Tech High school prior to
becoming teacher of recordin essence High Tech High is building their own
teacher residency program.
Successes include: creation/Execution of home grown credentialing and masters
degree programs; creation of massive online open courses (MOOCs) in 2013 to
share best practices; plans to create a home grown residency program. A challenge
is managing and balanceing operation expenses of current programs and new
initiatives.
Denver Public Schools
The Denver Public Schools created an Office of Equity and Inclusion (OEI) to help
recruit and retain diverse teacher candidates in partnership with the City of
Denvers efforts to diversify its workforce. OEI assists the district offices by
promoting initiatives that support deeper understanding of the benefits of equity,
diversity, and inclusion. While not every school system has the resources to
establish a new office of operations, there is still a potential to execute best
practices at the local level.54
Best Practices: Diversity Inclusion Inclusiveness - In Denver Public Schools,
the difference between diversity and inclusion is distinctly drawn. The guiding
philosophy is that while a diverse student population is necessary for student
development, the benefits of diversity are not automatic and do not simply occur
from a diverse campus. DPS defines inclusion as the active and intentional ongoing
engagement with diversity in ways that increases ones awareness, content
knowledge, cognitive sophistication and empathy of understanding complex ways
individuals interact within systems and institutions. Inclusiveness is defined as the
way people from all backgrounds are involved in an organization, how their
perspectives are valued and how their needs are understood. They define diversity
as the sum of the ways that people are both alike, and different along racial, ethnic,
gender, sexual orientation, language, culture and religious parameters. By defining
and educating districts and schools on the differences between diversity and
inclusion, more thoughtful efforts have been made to recruit and retain talent.
Denver has used a top-down approach to refine their school staff and students to be
52 Ibid, p9.
53 Ibid p9.
54 TNTP (2012). The Irreplaceables: Understanding the Real Retention Crisis in Americas Public
Schools, pp. 29 Retrieved from http://tntp.org/assets/documents/TNTP_Irreplaceables_2012.pdf
39

more culturally aware and sensitive through this three-pronged adoption of what
DPS coins multicultural education.
District Successes include: DPS Informational and Networking Events;
collaboration with national and local social equity and action groups, NAACP and
CPLAN; recruitment out of state at HBCUs; leveraging DPS alum as brand
ambassadors at their respective universities; annual Diversity Summit; a successful
Culture of Inclusion through OEI that promotes longevity and honorary recognition
for diverse candidates (Lifetime Achiever in Education, Stellar Performer in
Education, Educator of the Year Cornerstone Educator Award).
Teach Tomorrow in Oakland Unified School District
Teach Tomorrow in Oakland (TTO) was established in 2008 as a partnership
between former Oakland Mayor Ronald V. Dellums office and the Oakland Unified
School District (OUSD) to recruit and retain committed teachers who reflect the
ethnic and cultural diversity of Oakland. TTO was developed to stop the revolving
door of teachers coming in and out of the classrooms. Candidate must apply to a
partner university to obtain their teaching credential. Teachers must make a
commitment of five years. TTO places 25-40 teachers a year for K-grade 8
classrooms. They are starting their seventh cohort. TTO pays all fees (about $750)
to become a teacher, but does not pay for tuition. Eight weeks of pre-service
support is provided along with in class coaching and tutoring and fee assistance to
pass the California teacher certification. They also act as connectors with principals
in the Oakland schools to find placements for candidates. Since 2008, TTO has
operated with funding from the Teel Family Foundation, the Federal Transition to
Teach program, and the Packard Foundation. TTO leaders are working on a
development plan to sustain its work for the next five years to help meet their
objectives. Successes55 include placing 100 teachers, including 79 in OUSD, actively
partnering with Latino and African American Communities and universities, and
creating cohorts to build a support structure and provide professional development.
Challenges include difficult-to-navigate educational systems, retention, and isolation
at school sites.
States and Regions

Call Me MISTER Program (South Carolina and partners in Virginia,
Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Florida, Georgia, and Kentucky)
Clemson University in South Carolina started the Call Me MISTER (acronym for
Mentors Instructing Students Towards Effective Role Models) Initiative in 1999 to
increase the pool of African American males. Student participants are largely
selected from among under-served, socio-economically disadvantaged and
55 Diversifying the Teacher Workforce .p 41
40

educationally at-risk communities. The program is in over 25 colleges in South
Carolina as well as in at least one college in six other states. The project provides:
tuition assistance through loan forgiveness programs if pursuing approved programs
of study in teacher education at participating colleges; an academic support system
to help assure their success; a cohort system for social and cultural support; and,
assistance with job placement.
South Carolina Center for Education Recruitment, Retention and
Advancement (CERRA) Program
The Teacher Cadet Program56 encourages academically talented, high-achieving,
high school students with exemplary interpersonal and leadership skills to consider
teaching as a career. An important secondary goal of the program is to develop
future community leaders who will become civic advocates for public education.
The Teacher Cadet Program uses an innovative approach designed to attract
talented young people to the teaching profession through a challenging introduction
to teaching. The program seeks to provide high school students with insight into the
nature of teaching, the problems of schooling, and the critical issues affecting the
quality of education in America's schools. In 2013-2014, the program was in 72% of
all public high schools in South Carolina had a Teacher Cadet Program and 165
South Carolina high schools offered 188 sections of the course. That year, 2,545
students in South Carolina completed the Teacher Cadet Program871 (34.2%) were
non-white students and 555 (22%) are males. After completing the course, 41% of
Teacher Cadets chose teaching as the career they plan to pursue after college and
nearly one-quarter of the Teacher Cadets who now plan to teach indicated they had
been undecided or planned to pursue a different career before taking the course.
Almost all cadets reported that the course was very or somewhat effective in
helping form a positive perception of the education profession (96%), that the
coursework increased their knowledge of careers in education (98%) and that the
field experience helped them understand the many factors that contribute to
effective teaching (98%). In addition, 44% of Teacher Cadet sites were located in
schools identified as 2013-14 Geographic Critical Need Schools. Finally, 71% of
the 779 students who applied for admission into the Teaching Fellows Program in
2013 were Teacher Cadets.
Pathways2Teaching
The Pathways2Teaching Program is a pre-collegiate program that enables high
school students of color to explore teaching as a profession. It allows students to
see how teaching can be used to impact change in the students community. 57 The
program enables students to read and discuss the current challenges of the
56 http://teachercadets.com/research/default.aspx
57 Diversifying the Teacher Workforce.p 111.
41

opportunity gap in their community, work in elementary schools, build their own
skill set (reading, writing, research and public speaking), earn college credit, get
support for their college search, and visit college campuses. Adults ensure that all
interested juniors and seniors in high school earn college credit, provide them with
mentor/mentee relationships, have opportunities to meet with recognized scholars
of color, ensure their families and communities share in the work of the class. 58
Chalkboards TeachOregon
The Chalkboard Project in Oregon59 was founded to improve K-12 education in
Oregon and to eliminate the achievement inequalities. It is supported by a number
of foundations. One of its major initiatives is Teach Oregon which pairs universities,
community colleges and school districts to redesign their teacher preparation
programs. One of the main purposes is to diversify their teacher corps. Currently
they have five pilot sites. They have five project teams representing 13 districts and
11 higher education institutions who have been participating in this project since
2012. The districts have recruited several hundred middle school and high school
students, the majority of whom come from culturally diverse backgrounds in a
grow our own program that is modelled on a program in South Carolina. High
school students are able to earn dual credit for high school and college for their
participation in this Teacher Cadet program60. Some of these students (85 in 2015)
have moved on to college with scholarships to support their education to become
teachers through this teacher pathway program.
Educators Rising
Educators Rising is a new program (2015)61 in multiple states that uses hands-on
teaching experience to build a pipeline starting with high school students. While
they are not exclusively focused on students of color, they are interested in
targeting that population. They offer an online virtual campus for teachers working
with students to consider the teaching profession as well as co-curricular programs
to enable students to explore the teaching profession. Students can earn microcredentials to increase their mastery of skills.
Appendix C. Estimated Effects of Teacher

Characteristics
58 Diversifying the Teacher Workforcep 112

59 http://chalkboardproject.org
60http://teachercadets.com/
61 https://www.educatorsrising.org/
42

The CEDR Paper62 concluded that:
The findings we describeare encouraging and suggest an empirical basis for teacher workforce
diversification. However, it is important to put the magnitudes of the estimated effects on student test
performance in context. Figure 1 (mathematics) and Figure 2 (reading) provide some context for thinking
about the magnitudes of the estimated role modeling effects relative both to overall achievement gaps
between Black and White students (the horizontal lines) and to the estimated effects of other teacher
characteristics on student achievement. The horizontal lines in Figure 1 show that the Black-White
achievement gap in fourth grade is 0.55 standard deviations in Washington State and 0.85 standard
deviations nationally.63 These achievement gaps grow slightly by eighth grade (both in Washington and
nationally) and are somewhat smaller in reading (see Figure 2). On the other hand, the first two sets of
bars in each figure represent the estimated role model effects discussed in the previous section, which are
far smaller than the overall Black-White achievement gaps. It is therefore clear that role model effects
alone will not close Black-White achievement gaps in public schools.
Yet, while diversification of the workforce is unlikely to radically affect achievement gaps, we do believe
the magnitudes of these role model effects to be educationally meaningful. This can be seen by comparing
the first two sets of bars in Figures 1 and 2 with the other sets of bars, representing estimated effects of
other teacher characteristics on student achievement from the broader literature. For example, while it is
well established in the literature that teachers with higher credential test scores and teachers who have
National Board certification are more effective than other teachers, all else being equal, the estimated
effects of each of these credentials tend to be smaller than the estimated role model effects discussed
above. Put another way, assigning a Black student to a Black teacher is associated with higher learning
gains than assigning the same student to a teacher with one standard deviation higher credential test
scores or a teacher who is National Board certified.64
*denotes estimate from Washington State.
paper 2015.
63 The achievement gaps in Washington State are the authors calculations from the states
Measurements of Student Progress data in the 201213 school year, while the national achievement
gaps are from the 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress.
paper 2015 page 6 and pp 11-12 for charts.
43

Source: Center for Education, Data & Research 2015
44

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Diversifying the Educator Workforce Task Force

DRAFT as of November 2015

Diversifying the Educator Workforce Task Force

DRAFT as of November 2015

Diversifying the Educator Workforce Task Force

DRAFT as of November 2015

Developing better support for current teachers of color to succeed in the

The Current Challenge

Student experience: Jerome

teaching is the most important

Diversifying the Educator Workforce Task Force

DRAFT as of November 2015

University teacher preparation programs have struggled with recruiting and

Research Literature Review

Diversifying the Educator Workforce Task Force

DRAFT as of November 2015

See Appendix C for Estimated Effect of Teacher Characteristics on Student

12 John Hattie Visible Learning for Teachers, Routledge, NY 2012

14 John Hattie Visible Learning for Teachers, NY NY Routledge, 2012

Diversifying the Educator Workforce Task Force

DRAFT as of November 2015

Building a Diverse Educator Workforce

Diversifying the Educator Workforce Task Force

DRAFT as of November 2015

Diversifying the Educator Workforce Task Force

DRAFT as of November 2015

Diversifying the Educator Workforce Task Force

DRAFT as of November 2015

In 2013, the Washington State Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB)

Native American / Alaskan Native

Black / African American

Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander

101 (Spokane &

105 (Yakima & Central

%112 (Vancouver & SW

113 (Olympia & SW WA)

114 (Bremerton &

121 (Puget Sound WA)

Diversifying the Educator Workforce Task Force

123 (Walla Walla & E.

171 (Wenatchee &

189 (Anacortes & NW

DRAFT as of November 2015

Teacher Preparation and District Recruitment

Diversifying the Educator Workforce Task Force

DRAFT as of November 2015

community organizations have been able to support families by offering college

Diversifying the Educator Workforce Task Force

DRAFT as of November 2015

providing culturally sensitive student supports is imperative in reducing attrition and

Pathways to Teaching in Washington State

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

District Hiring and Recruitment

Programs to Diversify the Educator Workforce

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Number of Teachers of Color in Selected Programs Compared to All WA

Number of Washington State Teachers by Race and Ethnicity Completing

Washington State Teacher Prep/District Programs

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

41 John Hattie Visible Learning for Teachers, Routledge, NY 2012