This is a bold but attainable vision. Programs seeking to make this vision a reality often face some of the questions posed below. In responding to those questions, we have curated personal testimonies and other resources for your consideration.
Q: We contend that centering BIPOC epistemology and experiences in our curriculum will improve the experience of all candidates, especially BIPOC, in our program. What are strategies for transforming the curriculum in this manner?
Q: We study exit survey data and use it to understand BIPOC experiences in our program, but that is after the fact. What are strategies for understanding their experience during the program so changes can be made?
Q: We are concerned about attrition among our BIPOC candidates. What are effective retention strategies?
Q: We struggle to find high-quality placements with BIPOC teachers. How can we expand our pool of mentors to include more BIPOC in-service teachers?
Q: We feel challenged to balance the desire to center our BIPOC faculty in our program (as instructors, leaders, etc.) and minimize cultural taxation. How do we proceed?
Aspiring teachers who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color thrive in our programs
- Dr. Brandi Hinnant-Crawford & Dr. Luke Wood Gates CoP NSI closing keynote This link will take you to an external website in a new tab.: Dr. Brandi Hinnant-Crawford and Dr. Luke Wood in conversation about liberation and improvement. (Podcast 1/5/2023)
- Don Berwick on Building Courageous Networks (1-Hour Podcast Interview) This link will take you to an external website in a new tab.: Stacey Caillier interviews Don Berwick about learning from variation, detoxifying “data,” learning from users, avoiding the “hero” trap, and more.
- Call Me MiSTER This link will take you to an external website in a new tab. at Clemson University provides tuition assistance through loan forgiveness programs for admitted students 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.
- Profound Gentlemen is a national organization that engages current and aspiring male educators of color by placing them in small communities called, Impact Cohorts.
- San Francisco Teacher Residency Program offers a high-touch, three-year program with financial support for teacher candidates who seek employment in SanFrancisco schools. The program is centered on the values of social justice. “Plain and simple: we are on a mission for social justice. SFTR aims to improve academic achievement and social-emotional development for historically underserved students in San Francisco’s public schools by recruiting, preparing, and supporting highly effective and equity-centered teachers.” See page 22 of this report This link will open a PDF file from an external website in a new tab. written overview of the strategies. Recruitment director discusses for recruiting strategies in video This link will take you to an external website in a new tab. Recruitment plan This link will take you to an external website in a new tab. (Source: WestEd)
- Cal State Fullerton’s Men of Color in Education Program This link will take you to an external website in a new tab. and Male Success Initiative This link will take you to an external website in a new tab. work together to attract and retain men of color in the teaching credential program through a community of social and academic support. MSI Video This link will take you to an external website in a new tab.- Hear the voices of men who are part of the male success initiative, what they have learned and experienced and what they value.
- Educators Rising This link will take you to an external website in a new tab. is a national organization supporting community partnerships between K-12, Community Colleges, and IHIs in creating “Grow Your Own” programs. Project Pipeline Repair: Restoring Minority Male Participation and Persistence in Teacher Preparation Programs offers this Design Template for states and institutions seeking to recruit and retain male teachers of color. This recent WestEd CA Residency Program Findings Report shows how influential personal connections can be to decisions to enter teacher prep programs.
BIPOC Teacher Recruitment and retention
- We All Want More Teachers of Color, right?: Concerns About the Emergent Consensus This link will open a PDF file from an external website in a new tab.
- Lessons for Teacher Education: The Role of Critical Professional Development in Teacher of Color Retention
- Changing the Narrative on Diversifying the Teaching Workforce: A Look at Historical and Contemporary Factors That Inform Recruitment and Retention of Teachers of Color
- If you Listen, We Will Stay: Why Teachers of Color Leave and How to Disrupt Teacher Turnover This link will open a PDF file from an external website in a new tab.
- Black Female Teachers on Teacher Preparation and Retention This link will open a PDF file from an external website in a new tab.
- Exploring the Boundary-Heightening Experiences of Black Male Teachers: Lessons for Teacher Education Programs
- Sacramento State’s College of Education Educational Equity Program provides peer mentors who recruit and support underrepresented students from the community, beginning at the undergraduate level and into teacher credential programs. See their peer mentoring handbook here. CSUS Educational Equity Program This link will take you to an external website in a new tab. See:
- CSU’s EduCorps Program offers resources and supports to career changers, community college students, undergrads and high school students interested in a teaching career. FAQ - addresses common questions about becoming a teacher in CA Program Finder - Helps students find programs to suit their needs.
- Project Pipeline Repair This link will take you to an external website in a new tab. is an innovative approach to mitigating teacher shortages and increasing the supply of highly qualified minority male teachers to serve in low-wealth school districts. It involves collaboration with state agencies of higher education, educator preparation programs (EPPs) at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and school partners. Design Template This link will open a PDF file from an external website in a new tab.- This paper outlines in detail the activities of the project and data to illustrate success. (Source: State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO))
- Report: Learning Lab Scan This link will take you to an external website in a new tab. This scan of the literature and best practices for the recruitment and retention of BIPOC teacher candidates was created for the CO Learning Lab as a means of identifying high-leverage areas for improvement. (Source: CSU CO, EdQ)