Dear Honorable Legislators, 

We are writing today in support of H.682/S.366: An Act Relative to Educator Diversity, also known as the Educator Diversity Act. We, the undersigned constituents express our full support for the provisions outlined below as key strategies for accelerating DESE and district efforts to reach the collective goal of 25% Educator Diversity which would require the hiring of 16,000 educators of color by 2030. Achieving this ambitious goal will require critical new investment and key changes to policy which we believe are in part accomplished by the following policy proposal. 

The Educator Diversity Act would increase the recruitment and retention of educators of color by:

Establishing a pathway for alternative certification to the MTEL by 2024 and provide safeguards for negative impacts of certification on candidates of color 

Charging DESE to establish an Educator Diversity Data Dashboard alongside stakeholders, which would disaggregate data in areas such as educator retention by race and set clear targets for the diversification of the educator pipeline 

Requiring uniformity across school districts to appoint diversity officers or teams to set the vision for DEI plans, set measurable goals, and to ensure compliance with all provisions 

Requiring mandatory diversity training for the school committee, district leaders, and all staff, as well as anti-bias training for all screening committees prior to reviewing candidate applications. 

Establishing Educator Diversity Councils to serve as advisory councils to school committees and district leaders, elevating educator voices to address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in local school districts 

In the Commonwealth, over 40 percent of students in our public schools are students of color, but only 12 percent of teachers are educators of color. While data shows that students experience better outcomes when they are surrounded by educators who reflect their culture and experiences, diverse educators face disproportionate barriers in entering the profession—such as hiring bias and challenges passing the MTEL.

Furthermore, 19% of educators of color leave the classroom annually at the national level. Lack of diversity planning and cultural competency act as contributing factors to these retention rates. Therefore, the Educator Diversity Act would address barriers across the entire educator pipeline, from recruitment to retention, while also creating uniformity across the Commonwealth.

Each of you have shown a remarkable commitment to ensuring all students see themselves represented in the classroom. Your consideration of this bill will allow us to fundamentally transform the diversity of our educator pipeline that serves our students. We urge you to bring up H.682/S.366: An Act Relative to Educator Diversity to a floor vote and thank you for your time and consideration!