Ohio Makes Strives Toward Teacher Diversity

 Ohio Department of Education is taking extra steps to establish more teacher diversity within its district schools. In Ohio’s public schools, 94.4 percent of educators are white, 4.6 percent are black and fewer than 1 percent are Asian, Hispanic, American Indian or multiracial. About 23.6 percent of Ohio’s students are racial minorities.

In a coordinated effort since last year, educators from Middletown, Butler Tech, Fairfield, Mason, Talawanda, the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio Board of Regents have worked with Miami University to build the Consortium on Racial Equity in K-12 Education. Each representative has a racial equity team made up of teachers, administrators, a board member and staff members.

Part of the equity team’s plan at Fairfield is to initiate new recruitment practices for minorities and also to review all policy to ensure it reflects the district’s equity goals.

Minorities make up less than 2 percent of Fairfield City Schools teacher population, according to the Ohio Department of Education. However, the National Education Association reports that about 16 percent of the national teaching force is a racial minority.

While administrators are actively recruiting, the supply has not kept up with the demand for teachers of color based on the low numbers of African Americans, Latinos, Asians, and Native Americans entering the teaching profession.
Like most states throughout the country, those same students are often choosing more lucrative careers in other areas, and view certification and licensing as extra hurdles.

Last year, fewer than 10 students from Central State University —the only predominantly black college in Ohio to offer an education program — took the Praxis state teacher certification exam, according to reports.

Those that take the Praxis tests often don’t pass on the first try. And if they pass the first two tests, some get into their first year of teaching and then do not pass the third test.

— Teachers of Color