From The Economic Policy Institute - ‘Improving Teacher Diversity Is Key To Reducing Racial Disparities In Academic Outcomes & Addressing The Teacher Shortage’
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - There is a well-documented shortage of qualified candidates willing to teach in Public Schools at current compensation levels, but there is also a relative shortage of Black, Hispanic and Asian-American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Teachers, the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) says.
The EPI recently measured this relative shortage of teachers by race and ethnicity by comparing the current Teacher Labor Force to the current enrollment of school-aged children.
The EPI documented a significant demographic mismatch between Public School Teachers and students and describes a substantial body of research indicating that narrowing this demographic mismatch could have educational benefits for Black Hispanic, and AAPI students.
In 2023, almost half of U.S. Kindergarten-through-Grade 12 students were Black, Hispanic or AAPI, while only a quarter of Teachers identified in the same way (Figure A, Pictured Above).
This large disparity has major implications for education policy, the EPI said.
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