April-2020-Advisor_2

DIVERSIFYING

14 CEA ADVISOR APRIL 2020

TEACHERS TESTIFY IN SUPPORT OF MINORITY TEACHER RECRUITMENT BILL Connecticut teachers have been

One educator doing his part to diversify Connecticut’s teaching force is high school physical education and health teacher Daniel Lauture, who formed Stamford High School’s Future Educators of Diversity Club (FEoD) this school year. Stamford’s is one of five such clubs across the state established thanks to an NEA Great Public Schools Fund grant project overseen by CEA Vice President Tom Nicholas. “We are very excited to be working at a grassroots level to ensure that Connecticut students see more teachers of color leading their classrooms,” Nicholas says. “I figured what better way of recruiting teachers to Stamford than shaping the current students we have—the ones who know our city and its schools—by building their sharing their stories with legislators in the hopes of diversifying teaching in Connecticut, where children of color are more than 40 percent of the student population, while educators of color comprise only about eight percent of the teaching force. Teachers testified in favor of Senate Bill 390, An Act Concerning Minority Teacher Recruitment and Retention, which would assist more minority teachers in obtaining teacher certification, develop a plan to promote teaching careers to high school students, and establish a task force to study educator retention. Speaking their truth Westport K-5 literacy coach Faith Sweeney— often the only minority in her school and sometimes her entire district— explained why a diversity of perspectives is essential for all students. The 24-year veteran, who has also taught in Greenwich and Stamford, said, “By high school, students of color often feel invisible. As a teacher of color, I recognize that my presence, voice, and actions give students as well as teachers the opportunity to base their judgments on personal experiences and connections, not generalizations and misconceptions that are a product of unconscious bias. Through those personal experiences, black, brown, tan, and white students and teachers become allies for each other.” Research shows that all students benefit from having teachers of color—and students of color, in particular, are more academically

about what drives teachers of color away, 2019 Connecticut Teacher of the Year and Bridgeport music teacher Sheena Graham gave examples from her own district. “Bridgeport has been underfunded for so long, it’s catching up with us. We recently lost three African- American male teachers and a Hispanic male teacher who went to other districts and saw their salaries increase by a minimum of $12,000 and as much as $25,000.” Next generation “I know the importance of having teachers who look like you teach you,” said Representative Billie Miller, who wondered about some of the other hindrances teachers face, what the state can do to attract and retain minority teachers, and whether student loan debt assistance would help. Testifying about CREC’s pilot teacher residency program to recruit and retain minority teachers, CREC teacher Ushawnda Mitchell explained that paying salaries to student teachers—one of the features of CREC’s program— allows aspiring educators to fulfill their requirements without incurring additional student debt. CEA Communications Director Nancy Andrews told legislators that of the estimated 2,500 students enrolled in teacher preparation programs at colleges throughout Connecticut, only four percent are black, and only eight percent are Hispanic. The vast majority—82 percent—are white.

From right, teachers Marquis Johnson (Windsor), Sheena Graham (Bridgeport), and Faith Sweeney (Westport) were among those who testified in support of a bill to help diversify Connecticut’s teaching force. Bloomfield teacher Elka Spencer (at left) testified in support of strengthening a social-emotional learning bill.

interest and giving them an early start on knowing what it is to become a teacher,” says Lauture, a member of the Stamford Public Schools Urban Recruitment Task Force, whose mission includes cultivating future educators by bringing more of the city’s minority students into the teaching profession. Last summer, when Lauture decided he wanted to organize a FEoD Club at Stamford High School, he met with his principal and district officials to discuss the idea. “Once I got the OK, we gathered juniors and seniors interested in joining, and our first meeting was in October.” As the group’s advisor and the liaison between the district and students, Lauture creates the schedule and curriculum, plans meetings, and follows through with students in the internship program. engaged, perform better, and often feel more connected to the adults in their classroom when they are taught by educators of color. “We make it evident through our actions that we value diversity, understanding that it is necessary for a more complete educational experience,” said 2020 Connecticut Teacher of the Year finalist Marquis Johnson, a science teacher at Sage Park Middle School in Windsor, who shared his own experience as a student of color and explained the importance of an inclusive curriculum. “Passing SB 390 will demonstrate Connecticut’s willingness to ensure our schools are places where everyone is welcome.

Through my work, I have learned that all students need positive role models from diverse backgrounds.” Johnson is featured prominently in a CEA ad campaign—Teaching Is Calling You—that seeks to encourage young people to consider the positive difference they could make as future educators. The other R: retention CEA is looking at ways of not only recruiting but also retaining teachers of color, many of whom leave their districts or their teaching careers entirely for economic, personal, and professional reasons. Responding to questions from Representative Susan Johnson, who serves on the Education Committee,

STAMFORD STUDENTS PAINT PICTURE OF A MORE DIVERSE TEACHING FORCE Poster contests, internships, monthly meetings among new Future Educators of Diversity Club activities

wanted students of color who are interested in the teaching profession to have access. I also wanted to shed light on the overall importance of being an educator. I feel that the juniors and seniors who go through this club will have a leg up once they reach our universities. They will have that prerequisite knowledge of what it is to be in the classroom and how to navigate the education world.” Lauture says

Stamford teacher Dan Lauture (second from right) with FEoD members Emily Graham, Jessica Nelson, and Symeria Pryor.

Stamford also has a tradition of “growing its own,” pointing out that 17

Seniors participate in a three-week internship within the school district that places them in classrooms of their preferred subject. “I took this on,” Lauture says, “because I

those students benefit who see their teachers as reflections of themselves, but also having more teachers of color and a more diverse teaching population can expand the minds of all students.” As part of his FEoD work, Lauture helped develop a 12-month curriculum model. “My hope is that eventually we can have a teacher prep program offered as a full-time credit-earning class.” Lauture plans to grow his school’s 13-member club as well as expand out to the city’s other two high schools.

percent of the district’s new teacher hires this year were former Stamford students. “At the end of the day, who knows our system and city better than our own student population?” One of Stamford High School’s FEoD activities this year was participating in a CEA-sponsored poster contest that illustrates the benefits and importance of a diverse teaching force. “Students were hoping to show in their posters that having a more diverse teaching staff pays real dividends for students. Not only do

Submissions to CEA’s poster contest included this artwork by Stamford High School student Sofia Hardman.