Community members discuss the state of educator diversity in Buffalo and Erie County

Apr 30, 2018 | Blog

As The Education Trust–New York revealed in its report, See Our Truth, Latino and Black students represent 43 percent of New York State’s K-12 enrollment yet only 16 percent of the state’s teachers—leaving significant numbers of students of all races and ethnicities without access to educators of color.

The gap is even wider in the Buffalo Public Schools, where 75 percent of students are Latino, Black or Asian compared to 13 percent of teachers. And there are no Latino, Black, or Asian teachers in 71 percent of district-run schools in Erie County outside of Buffalo.

Now, EdTrust–NY is engaging the community in a conversation about how to address this issue. That conversation started during a town hall forum on April 26, held in association with the Center for Urban Education at Canisius College and WNED/WBFO. Watch the recording of the forum to find out what educators, students, parents, and community leaders had to say.