2004 Teacher of Color Summit

8/9/2019 2004 Teacher of Color Summit

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On a chilly Friday morning in early November, cars began to fillup the parking lots near the University of Colorados Coors EventCenter. The building, which is most often a site for collegiatesporting events and is usually filled with cheering crowds ofstudents, was to host, instead, educators from the greater Denver-

Metro area. On November 12th

, the School of Education at CUBoulder, Adams 12 Five-Star Schools, Boulder Valley School District, Brighton School District 27 J,and the St. Vrain School District jointly hosted the first area Teachers of Color Summit.

The 2004 Teachers of

Color Summit Report

The Teachers of Color Summit was advertised as an opportunity tobring together education students, practicing educators of color, andallies to provide collegial support, opportunities for networking and

mentoring and insights into best practices in education. Attendeesincluded over 150 educators; there were representatives from nine

school districts, five institutions of higher education, one private schooland a handful of other education-affiliated organizations (see chart).

The Importance of Teachers of Color

The day began with a Keynote Address by Jacqueline Jordan Irvine,who is the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Urban Education atEmory University. Dr. Irvine specializes in multicultural and urban

teacher education, and much of her research and writing is specificallyconcerned with the education of African-American students. Irvinesaddress would serve as both fodder and foundation for many of theconversations the participants would have throughout the day. Sheshared demographics that portray the abysmal representation ofteachers of color in our public schools and discussed the important role

these teachers play in all students achievement. She also spoke about the difficulties of recruiting,supporting and retaining teachers of color and shared some suggestions for schools of education,districts and administrators that could help.

By some estimations, students of color represent over 40% of our public school population (this numberis much higher in urban centers). Teachers of color, however, represent less than 9% of our teaching

force. These numbers help create what a few have termed a demographic imperative to have moreteachers of color in our schools. According to Irvine, there are fourmain reasons for having more teachers of color in our schools. The first

three are often the most readily apparent: 1) Teachers of color serve asrole models for all students and counter negative stereotypes that areoften portrayed in the media and elsewhere in our society; 2) Teachers

of color diversify the workplace, providing all teachers with more inter-cultural experiences, strengthening human resources; 3) Teachers ofcolor act as role models for students of color to consider teaching as acareer path. Irvine adds to these postulations, however, what may be themost compelling reason to attract more teachers of color to the classroom. Teachers of color have a moreprofound, positive impact on the achievement and retention of students of color due to culturally-basedpractices, higher expectations, and roles as cultural mediators and advocates.

District # of Participants

Adams 12

Adams 50

Aurora

Brighton 27J

BVSD

CU Boulder

CU Denver

DPS

DU

Emory

JeffcoMapleton

PEBC/ Boett

Private

St. VrainNone

23

8

1

4

15

44

7

11

3

1

62

1

2

203

Total 151

Teachers of color

understand linguisticand cultural student

codes and often share

the hopes, dreams, andexpectations of their

families.- J. J. Irvine


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Challenges We Face

Despite the obvious need and the empirical studies that document each of the assertions that Irvine andothers have made, schools of education, districts and administrators have found it very difficult to attractand retain teachers of color to the profession. While Jackie Jordan Irvine suggests that teachers of colorcan make much-needed/essential contributions to our nations schools, they also face unique challenges;challenges that can make it difficult to pursue teaching as a career and to practice culturally-(not surethis has a hyphen) relevant pedagogy.

Morning Breakout Sessions at the Teachers of Color Summit provided an opportunity for participants todiscuss these unique challenges and how they impact teachers of color here in Colorado. Each of these

sessions, respectively entitledLighting the Fire and Preventing Burnout: Recruiting and Retaining

Teachers of Color, Teaching in the Dominant Culture and Culturally-Relevant Pedagogy: Teaching forSocial Justice in the World of CSAP,began with a discussion by a panel of invited guests. Speakersshared their experiences and then audience members joined the conversation by both asking questionsand sharing their own stories. These rich conversations yielded important insights into how we can

better recruit, support and retain teachers of color. In each session, the importance of mentoring,financial assistance, and implementing systemic, culturally-relevant support mechanisms were

discussed.

In the Teaching in the Dominant Culture session panelists included teachers of color who currently workin predominantly white institutions. A number of panelists described how a sense of isolation andloneliness characterizes their teaching experiences. One participant described how this feeling of beingout of place can be exhausting and how difficult it is to work everyday in a space/place where veryfew of your co-workers share where we are coming from.

Along with the sense of isolation that teachers of color can experience, there is the pressure andexpectation to be the expert and the voice. These educators described how they are often viewed asthe go to person for other teachers and administrators when working with students of color and

second-language learners and that as a result their workload is often doubled.

Not only are teachers of color often regarded as the resident expert on issues of cultural diversity, theyalso frequently must act as the voice for students of color. One panelist suggested that in this role sheoften found herself forced to raise questions about school policies, curriculum and disciplinary actionsthat might otherwise go unasked. Together these pressures contribute, for some teachers of color, to

feeling that they are part of a separate category within a school community; one participant noted thatshe often feels like the schools renegade, and another felt identified as the angry man in hisinstitution. Panelists shared that it is often co-workers, rather than students, who contribute to feelingsof isolation and the pressures to be the school expert.

While the focus of this session was on the challenges teachers of color often face, suggestions raised byparticipants for attending to these difficulties included the importance of finding allies at their respectiveschools and the presence of institutional and administrative support. These suggestions, and thechallenges highlighted in this discussion, echo the concerns raised in the other two morning sessions

about the importance of support personal, institutional, professional and financial in recruiting andretaining teachers of color.

Panelists in theLighting the Fire and Preventing Burnoutsession made clear the value of individualizedand institutionalized support for teachers of color when sharing stories about their own journeys intoteaching. Reflecting on their own experiences, participants indicated the importance of havingsomeone to go to and of creating more formal support systems for each other. One panelist suggestedthat providing students of color with mentors and role models in the field of education can be an


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effective recruitment method. Participants also suggested that recruitment cannot be viewed in isolation

from improving relationships between universities, school districts and teachers. These collaborations orpipeline relationships not only need to be strengthened but they need to be reformulated so that therecruitment of teachers of color incorporates culturally-relevant strategies; strategies that could includeusing multicultural hiring committees, targeting historically Black colleges and universities, connectingwith service and community organizations, and grow your own, district-sponsored alternativeroutes.(maybe these things could be listed as bullets for quick read)

Closely aligned with suggestions for revising recruitment strategies is envisioning how we can preventburnout among teachers of color by providing multiple types of support. Participants in this session

suggested that we need to seriously think about how we can get people together and acknowledgedthat we need to do more of this. The importance of creating opportunities for teachers of color toconnect with their colleagues working at different schools and in different districts was a reoccurringtheme in this discussion. Participants also suggested that it is essential that teachers of color receiveprofessional, institutional and financial support. In this regard, participants argued that it is essential to

make issues of equity and diversity as important a goal as standardized tests. Their recommendationsincluded providing financial support on campuses and to creating new or reviving existing professional

support systems. One participant suggested that these professional support systems must include amentoring program for new teachers of color programs created and staffed by veteran teachers ofcolor. Together, the stories shared, the questions raised, and the suggestions offered in this session pointto the ways that support systems for teachers of color need to be multi-pronged in order to attend to theunique challenges they face.

In the third of the mornings sessions, Teaching for Social Justice in The Age of The CSAP, BeaRamos(if you are going to mention her name you might want to mention the other breakout sessionleaders namesLuis Urrieta (dominant culture and Anissa Butler(recruiting and retention) began the

discussion by asking panel members, who consisted of classroom teachers, administrators and district

representatives, to share strategies they have used when they work with students who are strugglingacademically. One panel member recommended using the data provided by the CSAP to identify

students who are struggling to focus on those students needs. Others also recommended focusing onparental involvement for these students and every panel member recommended using some form ofculturally relevant approach to teaching (i.e., connecting learning to students lives, cultural traditionsand interests).

Audience members also asked the panel a series of questions, and the conversations that ensued wereprovocative. Despite a common sentiment to see the CSAP as an obstacle, and growing calls forclassroom teachers to close the door, one audience member also asked if there might be a way toutilize the CSAP to leverage social justice goals and objectives, to use the masters tools, so to

speak. This approach, many agreed, would need to be explored in greater depth by researchers andpolicy analysts.

Other conversations ranged from how to develop culturally relevant curriculum in an era ofaccountability to building relationships with students of color as a white teacher. Throughout theseconversations, several themes arose. One of the most prominent of these centered on the importance ofbuilding relationshipsrelationships between teachers and administrators, teachers and their students,teachers and parents, schools and communities. Inviting students and parents to participate inconversations about norms, testing, power, access and building alliances was discussed as a vital

component of building these relationships.

As with the other sessions that morning, there were also concerns regarding the impact of high-stakestesting on the recruitment and retention of teachers, particularly teachers of color. As students of color


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are further marginalized by many high-stakes tests, so are the teachers who work, often in vain, to help

these students develop a positive academic identity.

Actions We Can Take

In the afternoon, conversation turned to a discussion of specific actions that schools, districts andinstitutions of higher education can take in order to address unique concerns of and challenges faced byteachers of color. Participants divided into three separate groups for these afternoon sessions. Duringthese sessions participants not only discussed a wide range of suggestions for attending to therecruitment and support of teachers of color, but also discussed how we can begin to make these ideas a

reality. Many of the key points raised in these discussions echoed the themes raised by both JackieJordan Irvine in her keynote address and panelists from the morning breakout sessions. Once again theimportance of mentoring, utilizing culturally-responsive hiring practices, developing multi-facetedsupport systems and building alliances within and between educational institutions, in order toeffectively support teachers of color was evident. Below is a brief overview of specific

recommendations discussed in these afternoon sessions.

Mentoring:

! Increase administrative support for mentoring teachers of color.! Establish buddy system for added classroom support.! Team teaching as mentoring.! Establish a team-oriented support system for new teachers to counter feelings of isolation.

Culturally-Responsive Recruitment and Support Practices:

! Multicultural curriculum throughout high school and college curriculum.! Training on how to interview for teachers of color.! Multicultural interview staff/committees.!

District minority workshops to work on communication needs of individual schools. Topics forworkshops could include induction, instructional issues, and working as a group.

! Colorado Department of Education develop a multicultural development center to address issuesfaced by teachers of color.

! Make conversations about diversity a priority.! More multicultural education courses.

Multi-Faceted Support Systems- Financial, Professional & Institutional Support:

! Financial incentives including tuition breaks, scholarship incentives, loan forgiveness, loanwaivers, signing bonuses, stipends and housing allowances.

! Financial support for outreach at the high school level and developing alternative pathways tocollege.

! Funding for translation services.! Funding for nontraditional/first-generation/undocumented teacher education students! Stipends or incentives for non-traditional skills.! Funding teacher education shared by district and university.! Pay for performance model in Denver Public Schools; attract and retain teachers of color by

offering a percentage of salary automatically if contract is renewed for a second year.

! Assistance with lesson plan development.! Coaching sessions for teachers on teacher certification tests.! Support for para-professionals to earn a teaching certificate. Provide on-site classes and access to

alternative licensure programs.


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! Increase presence of people of color in administrative positions.! Provide experiences for secondary students as a way to grow your own teachers.! Provide professional development for all teachers on how to work with students of color.! Establish mechanism for teachers to access each others curriculum in order to share resources.! Establish mechanism to continue dialogue among all teachers about diversity issues.! Provide planning time to address these issues.! Establish new teacher communities at individual schools that provide support groups.! Create opportunities for new teachers to observe and interact with experienced teachers.! Develop website, listserv and/or clearinghouse as a way to share resources and develop

networks/alliances.

! Develop long-term for more meetings and/or summits like this one and plan to includeadministrators and school board members.

! Establish teacher cadet programs. High school students build relationships and earn collegecredit by shadowing a teacher.

! Build capacity of teachers already in the district to learn Spanish or other languages studentsspeak.

! Provide opportunities for discussion of multicultural issues.! Structured time to spend with other teachers of color.! Expand responsibility for support and translation because bilingual teachers and teachers of color

called on to provide support and translation by all teachers in a school.

Networks and Alliances:

! Create partnerships among teachers of color.! Enhance university and district partnerships.! Teacher pipeline through collaboration with other colleges.!

Build better relationships between school boards and administrators.! Collaborate with non-educational minority groups. Extend discussions beyond schools in order

to educate, inform and involve community.

! Increase awareness in the community. Share stories to build relationships and facilitate culturalunderstanding.

! White teachers as allies.What can we do?

The list above is a brief overview of ideas generated during the afternoon sessions. In order to fullydevelop any of these suggestions, we need to both continue conversations begun on November 12

thand

to lay the foundations for implementing the strategies iterated above.

As we review our discussions and strategies discussed by participants and facilitators during the summit,we can begin to identify specific approaches. In her opening address for the day, Jacqueline JordanIrvine previewed/ shared some of these same strategies. Recruiting teachers of color is the largestobstacle towards diversifying our teaching force. Though it seems obvious, one of the most neglectedrecruitment strategies is to go where the people are. Irvine recommends recruiting teachers from

obvious places: predominately ethnic high schools, returning Peace Corps volunteers organizations,community colleges, civil rights and community organizations, new-immigrant programs, Blackfraternities and sororities, public schools that employ paraprofessionals of color, Black and Latinochurches that have Sunday school and after-school programs (2003, p. 59). Other suggestions thatarose during the morning and afternoon sessions of the summit included grow your own programs, inwhich districts, schools and university-sponsored programs offer financial incentives for teacher


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candidates who sign a multi-year contract to work in their schools. These kinds of programs, along with

alternative, state-sponsored approaches, often attract more teachers of color than traditional, university-based programs. Other prominent suggestions for recruitment strategies included focusing on graduatesfrom Historically Black colleges and universities and community colleges with promising preparationprograms.

While these suggestions work on targeting distinct populations from which to recruit teachers, theydont acknowledge some of the more difficult, institutional changes that are also needed. Manyconversations from the day also reflected the need for cultural and paradigmatic change in schools andcolleges of education, where the faculty is (?) predominately white. Many participants commented that

the language, culture and values of educational institutions can not only contribute to feelings ofisolation for teachers of color but can also undermine culturally-responsive practices. Our efforts torecruit and retain teachers of color cannot continue to ignore the importance of creating safe work spacesfor prospective teachers, administrators and faculty. As a result, we all must consider how theinstitutions where we work can systematically attend to issues of equity and diversity. These

recommendations give all of us much to consider as we begin to form a community and build alliancesdedicated to these same goals.

Actions in Progress

At the end of the summit, participants were asked to fill out feedback sheets. The sheets were designednot only to evaluate the summit itself, but also to give participants the opportunity to identify needs theyhave and what kind of support the contributing organizations might be able to offer. Participants werepleased with the networking opportunities and the sense of community at the summit, as well as theopportunity to share ideas and resources. A compilation of the responses also indicates that many of theparticipants want more, and possibly extended (more than one day) summits in the future, during which

they could meet in more, small groups and take part in more workshops. Participants also noted that

they would like to see better advertising and outreach to more schools, teachers and communityorganizations, as well as support from more districts for these kinds of discussions and summits.

In an attempt to respond to some of these concerns and to continue dialogue begun at the Teachers of

Color summit this fall, the School of Education at University of Colorado-Boulder is currently setting upa stirring/ planning committee with representative from the various districts to determine what would bethe most logical next steps. We are also working on creating a web page that would have informationregarding the issues of equity and diversity in schools, building district partnerships and providinguseful websites.

2004 Teacher of Color Summit

Documents

Transcript of 2004 Teacher of Color Summit