Educators for Excellence-Connecticut Celebrates House Passage of Minority Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act

May 7 (New Haven) — Educators for Excellence-Connecticut (E4E-Connecticut), a teacher-led organization, applauded the passage of the Minority Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act in the Connecticut House of Representatives, a bill that would help the state recruit and retain a more diverse teacher workforce. The bill passed the Senate on Thursday, May 3 and will now be sent to Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s desk.

“The underserved children of Connecticut face many tough odds in our state, including attending schools that are unable to provide the basic resources to learn--leading our courts to recently declare our state’s education system ‘minimally adequate,’” said Justin Boucher, Executive Director of E4E-Connecticut. “We know that improving our recruitment and retention of teachers of color can make a difference. Research shows that classroom teachers are the single most important in-school factor in improving student achievement and we are heartened that legislators have chosen to prioritize ensuring all Connecticut students have access to talented teachers of color.”

The nation, and Connecticut in particular, have alarmingly few teachers of color, with teachers of color representing only eight percent of Connecticut’s teacher workforce, while over 40 percent of the state’s students are children of color. Recently, E4E-Connecticut submitted testimony to the Connecticut Senate Education Committee and to the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus with recommendations to make it easier for a wide variety of diverse teachers to enter the workforce and enhance their retention.