New Report: Toward Increasing Teacher Diversity

Posted by on April 11, 2011

Another troubling gap

Minority students are 41 percent of the public school population, but minority teachers are 16 .5 percent of the teaching force. A new report from ETS and the NEA looks at achievement gaps on teacher licensure tests; what the characteristics are of people who succeed on these tests; and in what ways ETS and the NEA can intervene to narrow gaps. Researchers found significant differences in average scores between different racial/ethnic subgroups. Candidates successfully passing Praxis I tests on the first try had a much better chance of passing Praxis II tests, and test performance was generally higher in the first two years of college. African-American test-takers tended to take Praxis I later in their college careers. Available data explain neither why African-American candidates are more likely to test later in their careers nor why first-year students and sophomores score higher on average. NEA and ETS also conducted campus-based interviews to ask faculty and students about preparation for licensure tests and intervention strategies. Faculty said they struggled with students’ deficiencies in mathematics, reading comprehension, and writing; their familiarity with teacher licensure tests varied widely; close cooperation between Arts and Sciences and Teacher Education faculty is not always achieved; motivating students to use university preparation services is a challenge; and faculty members want tests to have more questions relevant to minority experience.

See the report: http://www.nea.org/home/42951.htm