A growing body of evidence shows that positive student outcomes are associated with racial/ethnic diversity among university STEM instructors. However, few studies to date have been able to provide direct causal evidence identifying the specific mechanism(s) hypothesized to drive the benefits of instructor racial/ethnic diversity. Leaving these…

Universities are expected to strive for excellence but also for gender balance. Narrow interpretations of excellence in universities hinder women's advancement in academia. In this paper, we ask if there are ways that these policies may be reconciled. Excellence is an "empty signifier" that must be filled with meaning. We have…

Professional development and mentorship are key supports designed to facilitate growth and acclimation to the teaching profession as well as foster the stability and success of new educators. However, both fields of study have been occupied by a normalization of whiteness and white teachers, which often neglects the experiences, perspectives, and…

In this important volume, leading scholars take an honest look at the progress made since "Brown v. Board of Education." Critical and forward-looking chapters document the shifts over time on key aspects of education, including school segregation, achievement trends in relation to policies and practices, the diversity of the teaching…

Mounting evidence supporting the advantages of a diverse teacher workforce prompts policymakers to scrutinize existing recruitment pathways. Following four cohorts of Maryland public high-school students over 12 years reveals several insights. Early barriers require timely interventions, aiding students of color in achieving educational milestones…

This review of the literature draws on critical race theory to examine the lack of racial diversity among the teaching force in Canada. Several barriers including systemic racism, non-diverse hiring policies, and arduous certification requirements for immigrant teachers inhibit the racial diversity of the teaching force in several provinces.…

The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education's (CPE's) diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts help ensure that all students, no matter their story, succeed in college. This is achieved through statewide policy that fosters strategic planning and accountability at the campus level and facilitates improvement in three key areas: (1)…

The COVID-19 pandemic placed an undeniable burden onto the teaching profession which already faced levels of prestige and interest at 50-year lows. The strains of the pandemic resulted in educators reporting higher levels of job-related stress and burnout and exacerbated concerns about potential teacher shortages. This dissertation leverages…

Teachers of color are critical for improving students' educational experiences and outcomes, especially for students of color. Yet, more than 80% of special education teachers (SETs) in U.S. public schools are white. Thus, we examined how the ethnoracial diversity of the SET workforce changed over time, from 2012-2021, in relation to the…

The Public School Forum's Top Education Issues outlines the Forum's priorities on what should be at the forefront of education policy decision-making each legislative biennium as the Forum works toward eliminating the systemic inequities that exist throughout the educational system and ensuring that every child has access to a high-quality…

The population of Manitoba has become significantly more diverse in recent years. However, this diversity is not reflected in the teacher workforce. What factors contribute to this incomplete representation of our society? This article examines the most current Canadian data available for the school and teacher populations. The established…

The leadership experiences of district intern program leaders in California play an important role in addressing the teacher shortage and diversifying the teaching workforce. However, limited information about their experiences exists in the empirical literature. Additionally, due to the recency of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is limited…

Governments around the globe have realised that meeting UNESCO's Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education requires meaningful changes to policy and practice. There are numerous ways localities have attempted to do so: policies aimed at intentional hiring of more diverse teachers, policies requiring…

This case study examined how color-evasive racism operated through search committee members' practices in ways that undermined university policy created to centralize racial equity in faculty hiring. Findings show that abstract liberalism, racialized decoupling, and racialized agency impeded the realization of an equitable search process. Faculty…

The education students deserve starts with great and diverse teachers. But while many states have made impressive progress on diversifying the teacher workforce, that progress could be at risk. This is because school districts commonly use seniority--"Last In, First Out," or LIFO--to determine which teachers to lay off. But LIFO is not…