Askwith Education Forum Askwith Essentials: Where Are All the Teachers of Color? Posted October 26, 2016 By Bobby Dorigo Jones For the first time in U.S. history, a majority of children attending public schools are students of color. Most of these students, however, still don’t have teachers who look like them. Why does the teaching profession struggle to hire and retain educators of color? What are the costs of maintaining the status quo? What are the barriers to change? And what can be done to make the teaching profession more racially inclusive? A panel will explore these questions and consider how policy can close the imbalance.Teachers of Color in AmericaIn 2011, just 18 percent of teachers identified as teachers of color, up slightly from 15 percent in 2000. In the same time, the proportion of students of color has jumped from 35 percent to over half.There is some evidence that suggests that student achievement increases when they learn from teachers of their own race/ethnicity.Boston Public Schools aims to build its ranks of teachers of color by at least 35 percent; one quarter of new teachers were teachers of color in 2015.Most programs arelocally focused, including The Fellowship, whose mission is to triple the number of black male educators in Philadelphia by 2015.Speakers:Nathan Gibbs-Bowling, 2016 National Teacher of the Year finalist; 2016 Washington State Teacher of the Year; teacher, Lincoln High School, Tacoma, WashingtonEmily Kalejs Qazilbash, Ed.M.’97, Ed.D.’09, assistant superintendent of human capital, Boston Public SchoolsEstefania Rodriguez, Ed.M.’16, K-8 Social Studies, district instructional coach, Cambridge Public Schools, MassachusettsEric Shed, lecturer on education and director, Harvard Teacher Fellows Program, HGSEModerator:Irvin Scott, Ed.M.’07, Ed.D.’11, senior lecturer on education, HGSE; former deputy director for K-12 Education, Bill and Melinda Gates FoundationEvent details:Wednesday, November 2, 5:30 p.m.Askwith Hall, Longfellow Hall13 Appian WayCambridge, MA, 02138NOTE: Seating is first-come, first-seated. Askwith Education Forum Bringing innovators and influential leaders to the Harvard Graduate School of Education Explore All Articles Related Articles EdCast Notes from Ferguson Askwith Education Forum Askwith Education Forum Celebrates the Launch of the Black Teacher Archive The groundbreaking new digital repository centralizes the experiences of Black educators during Jim Crow and creates new portals to understanding the history of African American education Askwith Education Forum Life, Animated: Autism, Ableism, and Educators On Thursday, October 6, the Askwith Forums welcomed Pulitzer Prize winner Ron Suskind, who will open up about raising a child with autism and discuss the steps we can take to break down educational barriers based on ability.