When Lindsey Horowitz, a special education teacher in Los Angeles, made the career switch from nonprofit to teaching, she knew it wasn’t going to be an easy job.

Horowitz, like many educators of color, entered the profession because she didn’t see enough teachers who looked like her at the time

they were students

in the classroom, Through

them here

K-12 education. But California, the second most diverse state in the US after Hawaii, is struggling to retain its educators, especially teachers of color.

I always wanted to be a teacher and I knew it would be challenging to work with students with disabilities, she said. But I also understood what it’s like to feel like you’re a little different in class.

According to a 2022 survey from the National Education Assn. Black and Latino educators were likely to leave the profession sooner than expected due to a lack of career support and poor working conditions.

But Horowitz tries to stay positive about the

education

profession.

There’s a desire to change the way we’ve done things, she said. We can look at how we can do things better.

She and other teachers, advocates and education policy experts gathered in Sacramento this week for the #CABuildingBridges summit to discuss how to recruit and retain teachers of color in California. At the all-day gathering of about 100 educators, leaders called on state policymakers not only to pass legislation, but also to create structures that reinforce new policies.

To see a structural shift, we need more support and oversight from the state. At least at the state level, who assesses the impact of all these programs? said Sarah Lillis, the California director of Teach Plus, a nonprofit organization for education leaders that is co-hosting the event. Our hope is that this group of people coming together can set that vision.

At the summit, educators spoke of the lack of diversity in teacher preparation programs and schools.

on school sites.

According to a 2022 survey of more than 4,600 teachers by the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools, teachers reported experiencing high levels of work-related stress, with 40% saying

That

they have considered leaving the profession and 20% say they are likely to leave within three years.

Burnout was cited as the main reason why teachers considered quitting.

leave the profession.

Other problems included heavy workloads, low wages, problems with student behavior, and a lack of career and administrative support.

Students of color are at a disadvantage if they don’t have teachers who look like them, teachers at the conference said. In California

public schools

about 77% of the

states

K-12 population is

composed made up

of students of color, while educators of color account for 37% of teachers

in public schools

.

Studies show that teachers of color serve as mentors and role models and increase the academic achievements of students from similar backgrounds.

We don’t need more data to tell us how important it is for students to have a teacher who racially identifies with them in the classroom, said Kai Mathews,

the

project director of UCLA’s California Educator Diversity Project. “It’s important for their sense of belonging, for their understanding of the material and the world around them.

Educators at the top said the lack of early career support for people of color is contributing to large numbers

To leave

the Professional Teacher Preparation Programs, usually completed after earning a college degree, greatly impact teachers’ potential to stay and thrive in the profession. Teachers of color, in particular, tend to struggle during this stage of their careers with not being able to make a living, pass uneven qualification tests, or find community on their school grounds, according to the UCLA study.

Shireen Parvi, assistant vice chancellor of the California State University Educator and Leadership Program, said

program

incoming teachers often said that teacher preparation programs, in addition to licensing and testing fees, were too expensive. Some worked multiple jobs to make ends meet, she said.

The UCLA study confirmed this. About 80% of teachers said it was difficult to find affordable housing close to their school, and 68% said it was difficult to control basic costs.

But

Hiring rates for teachers of color in California are fairly stable, Mathews said.

are

But it wasn’t easy to keep teachers employed.

If we can’t provide an environment where this career is sustainable, we won’t be able to maintain the numbers we want, Mathews said. We want to provide racial equality so that we’re not just asking teachers of color to come into education, but we’re actually creating an environment where they are respected, feel they belong, and can thrive.

Educators at the summit also highlighted programs aimed at increasing access to the profession. Margarita Jimenez-Silva, a professor at the UC Davis School of Education, oversees a program that prepares teachers for multilingual education in California. About 92% of program participants have become teachers in the past three years, she said.

Steve Bautista, program coordinator for the Center for Teacher Education at Santa Ana College, said funds should be set aside to develop more of these programs on community college campuses.

We are the access point for education for all of California, Bautista said. We represent the diversity of our state, but often we are not at the table as key stakeholders in this process.

Laura McGowan Robinson,

the

founder of the Diversity in Leadership Institute, said recruiting executives of color is essential to maintaining a diverse workforce.

Data shows that more than 70% of California public school principals are non-Hispanic white.

While I don’t believe that educators of color should bear sole responsibility for solving the system that has historically marginalized and oppressed them, I do believe that we have valuable insights and experiences and can use our collective power to disrupt, dismantle them and correct. systems for our children, McGowan-Robinson said.