Hiring different teachers is not enough to make schools fair. School leaders also need to create a culture and climate that makes minority students and staff feel welcome, says Justin Johnson of Mundelein, Illinois’ best teacher.
Johnson, a tape teacher at Niles West High School in Skokie, is Illinois Teacher of the Year 2021 – an award that earned him a year-long paid sabbatical to provide equal opportunity education and career guidance to teachers across the country. It is the first time since 2009 that the country’s Teacher of the Year has received a paid sabbatical.
Johnson intends to focus his sabbatical year on increasing various teacher recruitment, retention and mentoring new teachers, building on his work in Niles Township High Schools District 219.
Johnson stood out during the Illinois State Board of Education’s Teacher of the Year selection process “for how he affects the lives of his students, but also for the way he supports his peers,” said Carmen Ayala, state superintendent of education.
“In addition to mentoring new teachers and diversifying the teaching profession, he meets with other educators once a week to study literature and have authentic conversations about the toughest topics of our time,” she said.
Johnson has helped District 219 increase hiring of people of color by 200% over the past three years, officials said.
The district’s 4,600 students are 41% white, 34% Asian, 14% Hispanic, 6% black, and nearly 4% two or more races. Its teachers are predominantly white – nearly 84% – and 8.5% Asians, 2.5% Hispanic and Black, and 2.6% of two or more races, according to the Illinois Report Card.
Government education agencies recognize the need for more diverse educators. The state’s 130,000+ teachers are 82% White, 7% Hispanic, nearly 6% Black, and nearly 2% Asian. Of the nearly 2 million students, about 52% are minorities – after 47.5% white, 26.6% are Hispanic, 16.6% are black, 5% are Asian and 3.8% are two or more races.
“(ISBE) aims to increase the percentage of color candidates enrolled in teacher preparation programs by 15 percentage points – from 30% to 45% – over the next three years,” said ISBE spokeswoman Januari Trader.
Starting in 2022-23, all teacher prep programs will have to set enrollment goals for recruiting and retaining colored candidates and share their strategies for achieving those goals through an annual reporting process, she added.
The agency also invested $ 6.5 million in partnership with the Illinois Education Association, the Illinois Federation of Teachers, and the Chicago Teachers Union in a nationwide mentoring and virtual coaching program for first and second year teachers.
Having a faculty that reflects student numbers is critical, but districts that merely transfer various staff to schools with no support systems in place have some growing problems, Johnson warned.
“(Teachers need) a place where they really feel they belong because if you just hire them and don’t bother with these things, they’ll go,” he said.
He noted that black students in particular do not see teaching as a viable career option as there are not enough examples for black educators, especially men. This also applies to bands and music teachers, because the cost of music education can be an obstacle.
“There are currently only 2% of (black) men in the country teaching,” said Johnson. “Those are some things that need to be broken up and dismantled when talking about hiring different people.”
Illinois Best Teacher 2021, Justin Johnson von Mundelein, a tape teacher at Niles Township High Schools District 219 in Skokie, will focus his sabbatical year on working with current and future teachers who provide equal opportunity education and career guidance.
– Brian Hill | Employee photographer
Johnson said initiatives like the Golden Apple Scholars program are helping minority students realize the value of a career in education. But, he adds, the state needs to make it more affordable for students of color to take the required teacher certification exams, which can be expensive for some applicants.
“Once you’ve got through all of these challenges and got your first job, that first year is crucial,” said Johnson. “You may be the only black man (teacher in the school). … That must be difficult when it comes to finding your way around this room.”
Schools need to develop mentoring programs that bring first year color teachers together with others like themselves and provide resources to support them, he said.
Johnson said the research also shows different teachers in the classroom can help bridge performance gaps that disproportionately affect black and Latin American students.
“There are just so many systemic things that keep us from breaking that barrier,” he said. “If we really want to reach these students … we have to introduce them to people who look like them.”
State officials said the offer of a paid sabbatical allowed Johnson and Future Teachers of the Year to travel nationwide promoting topics they are passionate about. Johnson’s focus on increasing color teacher recruitment and retention is also a goal of the state board.
The agency has streamlined the certification / licensing process for teaching staff so that candidates who have met some, but not all, of the admission requirements can receive preliminary certificates of employment in schools. It also allows that teaching experience to be counted towards full admission in lieu of required courses and internships.
“ISBE plans to review admission tests that have disproportionately low success rates with color teachers,” said Trader. “The analysis will allow the agency to break down on specific test questions that may be problematic and take remedial action, such as removing the questions or convening a bias committee to revise (them).”
Meanwhile, Johnson is working with Teach Plus Illinois to develop model school district policies to improve school culture and climate. It is designed to train teachers on how to address racial prejudice and harassment in the classroom.
“The point is, students are safe in their classroom … because if a student isn’t safe, they won’t be reaching their maximum potential,” said Johnson.
During the sabbatical, Johnson will also mentor a newly licensed teacher in his classroom for a year. Interested candidates with assistance in music education can apply online to District 219.
source https://thedailytradingnews.com/just-hiring-more-teachers-of-color-isnt-enough/
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