Reviews the reasons for increasing the diversity of the teaching force, especially in urban schools. Introduces the articles of this special issue, which address the roles of federal, state, and local governments in increasing teacher diversity, discuss successful programs for increasing diversity, and describe the experiences and perspectives of…

Reports evaluation data from the Pathways to Teaching Careers Program, which focuses on recruiting more diverse and older teaching paraprofessionals, uncertified/emergency certified teachers, and returned Peace Corps volunteers. Multiyear evaluation indicates that Pathways has exceeded its recruitment goals and graduated early cohorts of…

To increase the representation of people of color in teaching, the potential candidate pool must expand beyond those who are likely to attend college. Paraprofessional school personnel, who typically are from minority groups, constitute a ready source for increasing the supply of diverse teachers. Five strategies that contribute to the success of…

This handbook is a guide to the design of new teacher recruitment programs. It is intended to help new programs make the best possible start in duplicating the success of the Pathways program, which seeks to recruit from three nontraditional pools: paraprofessionals, uncertified teachers, and returned Peace Corps volunteers. Pathways involves:…