If You Listen, We Will Stay: Perspectives of Teachers of Color on Retention

• In Event: 67.068 - MTCC Roundtable Session 32
  In Roundtable Session: 67.068-7 - Whose Voice Matters? Diverse Perspectives About Teacher Education

Abstract

With the national spotlight on teacher diversity; states, districts, and schools are considering how to increase the amount of teachers of color in the workforce. Researchers are learning about the issues that teachers of color face once they get into their classrooms and school buildings that may lead them to leave the profession. However, current research has not utilized the voices of these same teachers to influence policies geared toward retention. To that end, this study utilized critical race theory to highlight the voices of teachers of color in an attempt to 1) explore what promising practices exist for their retention; and 2) understand their perspectives as they relate to strategies deployed to keep them in the workforce.

Authors

• Mark Teoh, Teach Plus

• Ashley R. Griffin, The Education Trust

• R. Davis Dixon, Hampton University