There is an increased agreement across the nation that education reform is needed – and now. The questions remain in how to tackle the issues that plague the public-school system, and how to better serve our kids. Debates become heated, and often pull on the heart-strings and purse-strings across all aisles, often leading to divisive sentiments and heated debates. But regardless where your philosophies and pedagogies leave you on this issue, some truths are surfacing and undeniable; the U.S. needs educators to remain in the profession long enough to become great, and we need more diverse educators that are reflective of the communities in which they work. A recent and extensive study from the Center for American Progress explains that U.S. schools are lacking in two distinct areas that are impacting outcomes for students; diversity and talent. “America Needs More Teachers of Color and a More Selective Teaching Profession,” published on September 14, 2017 argues that these areas of focus need not be mutually exclusive. We can have a diverse teacher body, and we can expect them to be great, too. This may not seem ground-breaking, but it is something that only a handful of programs across the nation have intentionally tackled. Programs such as Loyola Marymount University’s School of Education, Teach for America (TFA) and The Boston Teacher Residency have been able to intentionally increase diversity efforts while also maintaining exceptionally high standards for new educators (Partelow et.all, p.30-36), and have made a positive impact for many urban students.
“As a TFA-alum, I got into education to be a part of the solution. But if you look around, it is clear that it’s hard to get people to join the education profession, and even harder to get educators of color to remain.” – Desiree Hunter
These commendable programs have begun to define the possibility for deeper reform in minority-majority communities by holding incredibly high expectations for their members and increasing diversity within school communities. One up-and-coming organization, Future Leaders Incubator (FLI) in Brooklyn NY, is looking to disrupt the field to provide even more opportunity to new-to-the-profession educators of color. “Urban education leaders have known about this issue for a long time. As a TFA-alum, I got into education to be a part of the solution. But if you look around, it is clear that it’s hard to get people to join the education profession, and even harder to get educators of color to remain. Many schools look for alternative routes for teacher success, allowing teachers to get on-the-ground job training and support as a Teacher Resident, Teacher Fellow, or Assistant Teacher, while attending graduate school to become certified,” explains Desiree Hunter, co-founder of FLI. While these programs have the potential for increasing diversity and talent for urban schools, this success will only be long-lasting if the educators remain in the field. The Center on American Progress estimates that while there has been a 5% increase in the number of teachers of color nationally over the past 20 years, there are significantly lower retention rates for teachers of color when compared to white teachers (Partelow et.all, p.1). Hunter explains how FLI is tackling these challenges, “We want to make sure that qualified and visionary potential leaders have access to these existing alternate routes into education. As a high performing student at a top-ranked school, I was actively recruited to be a TFA Corps member. But many of my counterparts who did not have access to the same colleges as I did might not have had a recruiter on campus. Then, we prepare these individuals for careers and leadership trajectories that will keep them engaged in education for the long run.”
The FLI Approach
Future Leaders Incubator was created to increase equity and opportunity for both educators and students by providing pathways, training, and mentorship for future educators in urban public PK-12 schools. The Center for American Progress explains the impact of a more diverse educator base can have on a school community, “There is a significant positive effect on the standardized test scores of students of color when they are taught by teachers of color… instruction from one black teacher in elementary school cuts high school dropout rates by 39 percent among black boys from low-income backgrounds. These same students were 29 percent more likely to express a desire to pursue a four-year college degree than their peers who had never been taught by a black teacher.” (Partelow et.all, p.4) FLI recognizes that the impact is much greater when considering all students, and when a teacher stays in the education field for more than a few years. FLI is currently launching two initiatives in New York City with strong ambitions to make change that could impact municipalities across the nation. Their model both promotes diversity in the educator workforce by providing a pathway into education, but also secures progressive and sustained professional development for both new-to-the-profession educators, and current education leaders to ensure that a rigorous bar is not overlooked.
- FLI Educator Project – FLI tackles the issue of diversity in the teacher workforce head-on, by supporting and preparing underrepresented and qualified college graduates for entry-level positions in urban public schools, and mentoring them through a leadership career trajectory. This multi-year, staged professional development is provided to qualified candidates, beginning before a candidate is ever hired into a school, and supporting with everything from securing a job as a teacher to passing certification exams and applying for school leadership positions.
- Preparatory Leadership Collaborative (PLC) – FLI is looking to disrupt the way current urban school leaders address the need for diversity at all levels of their organizations by providing adaptive leadership training for current school leaders. FLI PLC is creating a think-tank of progressive and visionary education reformers committed to tackling barriers to successful diversity and inclusion initiatives from within their schools, and using this as a platform to encourage change at other schools.
FLI’s Executive Director Jill Glassbrook explains, “As educators we sometimes get into the weeds so deep that we don’t see that we are perpetuating the problems that we are trying to address. As long as access to education is inequitable, opportunities to become educators will be limited to those with privilege.” Glassbrook is a first-generation college graduate, and TFA Alum. “As a sector, we are working on a long-term vision where all kids get an excellent education. In the meantime, we also need to make sure that teachers of color, and those that are traditionally under-represented in urban schools have access to a robust training and mentorship program that will afford opportunities to become the next generation of education leaders and reformers for our nation.” In their inaugural year, FLI looks to provide access and opportunity to 20+ aspiring educators through the Educator Project, which is currently accepting nominations. FLI will also partner with school leaders seeking to make an impact at their school sites, and is accepting nominations for PLC on a rolling basis.
Do you have what it takes to be a part of significant education reform? Future Leaders Incubator is accepting applications for both the FLI Educator Project and Preparatory Leadership Collaborative (PLC). Applications are available online (Edu Project Application, PLC Application) – please check all selection criteria before submitting a full application.
