Page 74 - EdViewptsSpring2021

Proactive and Practical

Pathways to Increasing Staff

Diversity in Schools

By Dr. Jennifer Sharp, Director of Personnel, Freehold Regional High
School District; and Charity Comella, Director of Human Resources and

Affirmative Action Officer, West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District

Take a moment and While not a panacea for closing the (p. 24). It is incumbent upon school

examine the mission achievement gap, research suggests leaders then, to find ways to attract
that expanding teacher diversity to
and retain a highly-qualified, diverse
statement and school more closely align with changing workforce, while simultaneously
goals of your local school student demographics contributes supporting a commitment to pedagogy
to positive outcomes for students of
that uses “cultural characteristics,
district. There is a good chance color (Villegas & Irvine, 2010; Rafa experiences, and perspectives of
these mention meeting the educational & Roberts, 2020). Adding to that, ethnically diverse students as conduits
needs of all students and reducing Nevarez, Jouganatos, & Wood (2019) for teaching them more effectively “if
the achievement gap. However, if argue that while “teacher diversity the mission of public education is to be
we look at achievement data trends, symbolically conveys a message of truly achieved (Gay, 2010, p. 106).
it is hard to argue with Gay’s (2010) hopefulness that diverse students can In 2017-2018 the demographics
assertion that, “...students of color see themselves in professional roles” of teachers in American public-
have not been achieving in school as culturally responsive teaching by all school classrooms was relatively
well as they should (and can)...” (p.1). staff is essential to student success homogeneous, at 79% white and 76%

Educational Viewpoints -72- Spring 2021