What Everyone Can Do To Diversify the Teaching Force

What Everyone Can Do To Diversify the Teaching Force: Among all the talks, efforts and research directed at increasing the numbers of Black and Brown teachers in the United States, it has long struck me as odd that the first and most fundamental step to doing so is simultaneously the most overlooked step.

Here’s a hint: “You may open your test booklets … now.” In most states, one must pass an initial battery of “basic skills” teacher licensure tests before one can be admitted into a teacher education program. The Praxis Series, created by the Educational Testing Service, is the most widely used test for this purpose. This is the initial entry point to the profession, the first of many important gatekeepers that young adults will experience on their ways to becoming professionals.