The following statement can be attributed to Ian Rosenblum, Executive Director of The EdTrust–New York:
“All students in New York State deserve access to strong, well-supported, and diverse educators, and research emphasizes the benefits of teacher diversity for all groups of students. The New York State Education Department’s comprehensive Educator Diversity Report makes essential connections between educational disparities in our public schools, teacher preparation, and school district hiring and retention policies. This report should serve as a call to specific actions and greater urgency at the state and local levels.
“Many of the policy proposals in NYSED’s Educator Diversity Report are consistent with and build on the recommendations in See Our Truth, the Educator Diversity Playbook, and The First Frontier of Equity, which together drew on interviews and focus groups with students and educators of color across New York State as well as national research and statewide best practices. NYSED’s Educator Diversity Report also reinforces the importance of the 2020-21 Regents Budget and Legislative Priorities, including additional investment in the Teacher Opportunity Corps II (TOC II) program and innovative teacher preparation programs that prioritize the recruitment of historically under-represented individuals.
“We are grateful to the Board of Regents and New York State Education Department for creating this important blueprint, and to Governor Cuomo and the Legislature for demonstrating their ongoing commitment to educator diversity by calling for this action plan in the 2018 enacted budget.”