Students Need Teachers Who Look Like Them and Stay In the Profession

By Stephanie Vazquez

For the past thirteen years, my line of work has awarded me the opportunity to  work and grow with arguably, New York’s most interesting and multifaceted population: students. 

The intricacies of their educational journeys intertwined with the development of their self-identities creates a layer of vulnerability that a lot of students guard, until they meet an educator that understands their culture, speaks their language, and creates a space where they can be their authentic selves while still developing their sense of identity in our current socio-economic climate and political climate. 

Growing up, I didn’t know I wanted to be an educator, but I did understand the security I felt when learning in a classroom space that was led by an educator I shared a cultural background with. They didn’t just add to my academic development – these educators contributed to my development of self. They helped remove the ‘otherness’ that existed in my mind when I attended a school community that was predominantly white – an experience that is still common for many students across New York today. 

There’s something truly powerful and  enlivening when it comes to being a Woman of Color in a school system like NYCPS, yet the diversity gap in educators across New York State is widening. To put it into context:  Black and Latino students make up ~43% of the student population in New York State, yet only ~16% of our teachers are Black or Latino. Retention of teachers of color continues to be a challenge in many of our high-need schools, despite localized efforts through various teacher preparation programs to incentivize placing teachers in areas where the demand is high. This disproportionately is also prevalent in other demographics, as Asian students account for ~20% of our student population across New York States, but only ~8% of teachers are Asian. 

These disparities are not merely statistics, but rather serve as alarm clocks awakening us to the reality that we’ve blindedly faced but have not rectified: we don’t just need more teachers. We need more teachers of color across New York State.  

Being a Latina educator working in the same school community I attended as a child, the shared language and culture our students and I bond over, is what helps learning feel less distant, makes them eager to succeed, and enlivens our interactions. Research shows students do better academically and socially when learning from same-race teachers. Yet, the disproportionality is widening and has become a growing concern across learning communities. A profession that once served as an inspiration to many and was widely applauded during the pandemic is now struggling to retain our most underrepresented teachers, which is why we must push to support policies that will aide in hiring, developing and retaining teachers of color across New York state, and invest in strengthening the pipeline of diverse educators. 

One promising next step is introduction of the Senate Bill S.519 Underrepresented Teachers of Tomorrow Program, where $5 million would be invested towards recruiting, developing, and retaining teachers from underrepresented backgrounds across New York State. The program has been introduced into New York State’s fiscal year budget, and the need for policymakers to support the inclusion of this bill into our state’s final budget is dire, as we work towards breaking barriers that prevent aspiring educators to enter the profession and receive the continuous support they will need to ensure they not only enter, but remain in classrooms and become the pillars our students desire. 

Just this week, while taking a few of our students from the My Brother’s Keeper and My Sister’s Keeper on a trip to see a Broadway musical, one student shared with me aspirations she had for her future self. During our conversation, she told me about a family member I reminded her of, and how much she loved that person. This was the same student whose mid-year assessment data showed she’d made progress in her literacy skills, yet adamantly makes her way to my doorway and to interact with me on a daily basis. I could tell our conversation had made her feel more safe, secure, and most importantly, seen. Every child deserves that feeling and opportunity when they walk into our school buildings, and that possibility is created when we hire and develop teachers that help create those spaces for our students. 

As lawmakers finalize the state budget, please remember, funding this bill will not only create a more diverse and culturally responsive workforce, but will also help guide the future of students across the state. New York, let’s pass this bill.