Texas beats nation on teacher diversity, but research shows work is needed to reflect students

KERA | By Nadya Faulx

Published December 12, 2024 at 8:43 AM CST

A Rufino Mendoza Elementary teacher uses her hand to wipe a dry-erase board after a student answered a math question on Jan. 20, 2024.

Texas’ teacher workforce is more diverse than that of the U.S., but it’s still not reflective of the state’s students, according to a new dashboard released Tuesday by the National Council on Teacher Quality.

The dashboard shows more than 45% of Texas teachers are people of color, and nearly 74% of students are. Nationally, 23.3% of U.S. teachers and 54.2% of students are people of color.

The analysis comes from federal employment, census and education demographic data. NCTQ President Heather Preske said the numbers can help states to fix those gaps.

“Research shows that teachers of color produce additional positive academic, social, emotional and behavioral outcomes for all students, regardless of race,” Preske told KERA. “And teachers of color produce additional benefits for students of color.”

In Texas, about 45% of teachers are people of color. Meanwhile, nearly 74% of students are. “Research shows that teachers of color produce additional positive academic, social, emotional and behavioral outcomes for all students, regardless of race," said National Council on Teacher Quality President Heather Preske.

A report released alongside the dashboard found a “troubling trend” nationally: the racial diversity of the teacher workforce is growing more slowly than the diversity of all college-educated adults — and that could mean fewer people of color pursuing careers in education.

In Texas, the percentage of teachers from historically disadvantaged groups — defined in the report as American Indian, Black, Hispanic, Islander/Pacific Native, and two or more races — is greater than that of all working-age adults with degrees, but that gap has shrunk over the past decade.

“I don't have a good explanation for it,” Peske said. “I have reason for optimism, but I think this is an area where we need to do more research and where district leaders and state leaders and educator preparation program leaders can ask good questions about why it is that the gaps are shrinking.”

Some teacher preparation programs across the state are helping to increase the diversity of new teachers entering the workforce, she added.

“I think we can do a better job both in attracting candidates to come into teaching and also in ensuring that once teachers of color come into classrooms, that we support them to stay,” she said.

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