REPORT OF THE UFT CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE
In 2009, the Delegate Assembly adopted a resolution entitled "Promoting an Inclusive and Diverse Teaching Force" which mandated the UFT (a) to collect and evaluate data to determine recent trends in the hiring of teachers of diverse backgrounds in New York City, (b) to identify the possible causes of these trends, and (c) to develop strategies to reverse any negative trends. Then UFT President Weingarten asked our committee to begin the work of implementing the resolution. In conjunction with UFT Research Department, we collected and evaluated data supplied by the State Education Department and other sources, covering the last two decades, and found that data to be more complex and contradictory than anticipated.
Our findings: GENERAL
• In New York City public schools, African-American students are represented in
percentages that are greater, by a factor of over 50%, than the percentages of
African-American classroom teachers, and Latino students are represented in
percentages that are greater, by a factor of nearly 66%, than the percentages of Latino
classroom teachers.
percentages that are greater, by a factor of over 50%, than the percentages of
African-American classroom teachers, and Latino students are represented in
percentages that are greater, by a factor of nearly 66%, than the percentages of Latino
classroom teachers.
AFRICAN AMERICAN EDUCATORS AND STUDENTS
• In New York City public schools, the percentages of African-American students have
been declining steadily since 2000.
been declining steadily since 2000.
• In New York City public schools, the percentages of African-American classroom
teachers have been declining since 2002, although the rate of decline has been faster
for students than classroom teachers.
teachers have been declining since 2002, although the rate of decline has been faster
for students than classroom teachers.
• In New York City public schools, the percentage of African-American supervisors
[Principals and Assistant Principals] has increased since 2000.
[Principals and Assistant Principals] has increased since 2000.
LATINO EDUCATORS AND STUDENTS
• In New York City public schools, the percentages of Latino students in NYC public
schools have been steadily increasing since 2000.
schools have been steadily increasing since 2000.
• In New York City public schools, the percentages of Latino classroom teachers have been
declining since 2002.
declining since 2002.
• In New York City public schools, the percentage of Latino supervisors [Principals and
Assistant Principals] have increased since 2000.
Assistant Principals] have increased since 2000.
HIRING TRENDS OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND LATINO EDUCATORS
• In New York City public schools, the percentages of African-American classroom
teachers newly hired in NYC public schools steadily increased from 1990 to 2002, only to
decline under the tenure of Chancellor Joel Klein every year since then.
teachers newly hired in NYC public schools steadily increased from 1990 to 2002, only to
decline under the tenure of Chancellor Joel Klein every year since then.
• In New York City public schools, the percentages of Latino classroom teachers newly
hired in NYC public schools steadily increased from 1990 to 2001, only to enter into a
general decline under the tenure of Chancellor Joel Klein since then
hired in NYC public schools steadily increased from 1990 to 2001, only to enter into a
general decline under the tenure of Chancellor Joel Klein since then
RECRUITMENT PATTERNS OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND LATINO EDUCATORS
• The Committee examined the recruiting practices of Teach for America [TFA] and NYC
Teaching Fellows and the composition of TFA and Teaching Fellows cohorts in order to
ascertain if these programs were contributing to the decline in African-American and
Latino classroom teachers, and found that although both programs recruited a majority
of white teachers, there existed a marked disparity in the numbers, with the 2009 New
York City cohort of Teach for America including only 8% African-American and 10%
Latino teachers, while the 2010 cohort of NYC Teaching Fellows was 20%
African-American and 17% Latino.
Teaching Fellows and the composition of TFA and Teaching Fellows cohorts in order to
ascertain if these programs were contributing to the decline in African-American and
Latino classroom teachers, and found that although both programs recruited a majority
of white teachers, there existed a marked disparity in the numbers, with the 2009 New
York City cohort of Teach for America including only 8% African-American and 10%
Latino teachers, while the 2010 cohort of NYC Teaching Fellows was 20%
African-American and 17% Latino.
• The Committee attributed that disparity between Teach for America and the NYC
Teaching Fellows to the percentages of teachers of color which existed in the initial pool
from which each program recruited their potential teachers - the NYC Teaching Fellows
recruited from a university pool which included five public (state and city) universities
with a greater proportion of African-American and Latino students (over 25% of the
student body), while Teach for America recruited from only two such universities, both
located on the west coast.
Teaching Fellows to the percentages of teachers of color which existed in the initial pool
from which each program recruited their potential teachers - the NYC Teaching Fellows
recruited from a university pool which included five public (state and city) universities
with a greater proportion of African-American and Latino students (over 25% of the
student body), while Teach for America recruited from only two such universities, both
located on the west coast.
• The Committee then examined student enrollment by subject matter at two of the most
prominent and larger historically black colleges - Spellman College and Morehouse
College - to test the hypothesis that recruitment at such colleges would yield more new
teachers of color, and found that unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of students
at these schools majored in subjects that are not considered relevant areas for teachers
(i.e., Engineering or Pre-Medicine as opposed to Education, Mathematics or English).
prominent and larger historically black colleges - Spellman College and Morehouse
College - to test the hypothesis that recruitment at such colleges would yield more new
teachers of color, and found that unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of students
at these schools majored in subjects that are not considered relevant areas for teachers
(i.e., Engineering or Pre-Medicine as opposed to Education, Mathematics or English).
• The Committee concluded that given the small numbers of graduates from historically
black colleges prepared for a teaching career, recruitment targeted at them would not
meaningfully increase the numbers of new teachers of diverse backgrounds, and that
instead, recruitment needed to be focused on public universities with significant
numbers of African-American and Latino students with appropriate majors for teaching
black colleges prepared for a teaching career, recruitment targeted at them would not
meaningfully increase the numbers of new teachers of diverse backgrounds, and that
instead, recruitment needed to be focused on public universities with significant
numbers of African-American and Latino students with appropriate majors for teaching
RESOLUTION PROMOTING DIVERSITY IN THE NEW YORK CITY TEACHING FORCE
Whereas it has been a long standing policy of the UFT to support the existence of a diverse teaching force, both in the interest of equity and because education research has consistently proven that African-American and Latino students who have had teachers of color as positive role models achieve greater educational progress; and
Whereas a study of the UFT Committee on Civil and Human Rights found that in relation to the numbers of African-American and Latino students in New York City public schools, African-American and Latino educators are dramatically underrepresented;
Whereas the Committee found that while the hiring of new African-American and Latino educators had steadily increased into the early 2000s, there has been a troubling reversal of this trend under the tenure of Chancellor Joel Klein with the effect of exacerbating, rather than abating, the dramatic underrepresentation of African-American and Latino educators;
Be It Therefore Resolved that the UFT demand that the New York City Department of Education rededicate itself to a policy of actively recruiting and hiring teachers of diverse backgrounds in order to reverse the downward trend of the last eight years in the percentages of African-American and Latino classroom teachers and to diminish the considerable gap between the numbers of African-American and Latino students and the numbers of teachers of color; and
Be It Further Resolved that the UFT use all its resources to compel the Department of Education to take affirmative action to increase the numbers of teachers of color in its contracts with third party entities engaged in teacher recruitment on its behalf; and
Be It Further Resolved that the UFT use all of its resources to compel the Department of Education and the third party entities engaged in teacher recruitment on its behalf to target recruitment at public universities such as the State University of New York and the City University of New York; and
Be It Further Resolved that the UFT lobby the Federal, State and City governments to develop and expand scholarships and other incentives to encourage and support college students in entering the educational profession; and
Be it Further Resolved that in conjunction with the NYC Department of Education, the UFT encourage the development and expansion of future teacher programs in the NYC public high schools, and highlight education as a viable career path by encouraging its development through the use of financial supports; and
Be it Further Resolved that the UFT use all of its resources to compel the Department of Education to provide expand its support for existing programs which produce large numbers of experienced and qualified African-American and Latino teachers - the career ladder program for para-professionals and the Success Via Apprenticeship program for aspiring Career-Technical teachers; and
Be It Further Resolved that the UFT continue to combat the negative depiction of teaching and the teaching profession which can only result in turning away prospective teachers from our profession, and
Be It Further Resolved that the UFT through its own efforts and in conjunction with the Department of Education persuade the Teach for America program to expand its pool of potential teachers to include more teachers of diverse backgrounds and advocate that both Teach for America and the NYC Teaching Fellows actively recruit more African-American and Latino teachers.
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