In an era of increased teacher accountability, states and teacher education programs have begun to look at how they can demonstrate/quantify the quality of teachers who enter the classroom. However, as states consider increasing the grade point average (GPA) and licensure-test score requirements, they fear they may keep minority teachers, particularly African-American and Latino teachers, out of the classroom, as these groups statistically have weaker GPAs and test scores than other prospective teachers. While states want to place high-quality teachers in the classroom, they also want to attract teachers who represent their student populations. In districts with high concentrations of African-American and Latino students, African-American and Latino teachers are already underrepresented. In fact, minority teachers are largely underrepresented in the world of education as a whole. According to the
National Center for Education Statistics, approximately 83 percent of teachers identify themselves as white/non-Hispanic. By contrast, white students make up only 54 percent of students enrolled in public schools. While little research has been done on the effect on minority students being taught by minority teachers,
initial reports show that minority students perform better when they have minority teachers. Individuals, such as Illinois’ state schools Superintendent Christopher A. Koch,
recognize the problem of attracting minority teachers while increasing the scores required for teacher education program admission and teacher certification. However, not everyone believes creating more stringent requirements will keep minority teachers from entering the classroom. Mary Brabeck, the dean of New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, resists the idea that diversity is affected by seeking out quality teachers. In fact, increasing the diversity of teachers and increasing the quality of teachers may go hand in hand. In general, the teaching profession has a history of attracting students of all races with lower test scores and other academic credentials.
A report by Educational Testing Service and the National Education Association showed that those who received a bachelor degree in education were less likely to have top scores on the SAT than all students who received a bachelor degree in general. However, the report also supports the difference between scores of white test-takers and African-American and Hispanic test-takers, noting that the minority groups of test-takers often scored lower on the Praxis I exam in mathematics, reading and writing. Those in favor of raising teacher licensure requirements explain that countries that rank high in education, such as Finland, have high standards for their prospective teachers. The idea is that brighter students will make brighter teachers, thereby improving the quality of education and student performance in the classroom. However, others argue that the standards may not be high enough to make a difference. For example, in New York, the state Education Reform Commission suggested increasing the minimum GPA for entry into a teacher-preparation program from
2.75 to 3.0, and Mississippi requires that prospective teachers must have a
2.75 GPA in pre-major coursework. Even by increasing the requirements, both states still hold teachers to fairly low academic standards. States such as Illinois are working on finding a solution that improves the quality of teachers entering the classroom, but still leaves room to accept teachers who may not meet the base academic standards. The
Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation suggests that teacher education programs require cohorts to have a cumulative GPA and meet other testing requirements rather than focusing on individual scores, which may allow programs to take a chance on individuals, including those from minority groups who show promise as educators. What research has yet to support, however, is whether higher GPAs and stronger test scores necessarily lead to higher quality teachers.
