Showing Them the Love—and Money

Photo by Nick Crettier

We conceived of this idea as a way to help close the achievement gaps that currently exist in our education system. Undoubtedly, you've seen these gaps in your own classrooms: the kids from underdeveloped countries who can't read nearly as well as their white classmates. The African-American boys from your kindergarten who wind up being sent to special education classes and never make it to AP history—or college. The science scores of your 11th-grade girls that are consistently lower than the boys'.

However, another achievement gap exists that's almost invisible to our eyes: the gap between teaching candidates themselves. According to the Educational Testing Service, only 59 percent of Hispanic and 69 percent of African-American teaching candidates are currently passing their certification exams—as compared with 91 percent of the whites. What this means, of course, is that at a time when the number of minority students is skyrocketing, the number of minority teachers—which is already at an all-time low—will continue to drop even further.

We all know that training and experience create a quality teacher—not skin color. However, while race doesn't determine anyone's ability to master and teach a subject, research does show that teachers of color have higher performance expectations for minority kids, which, in turn, can impact student achievement. What's more, qualified minority teachers also serve as excellent role models and "culture go-betweens" for an increasingly diverse student population.

A few years ago, a white teacher who was just starting out told me there was no one to whom she could turn to help her relate to her minority students. You see, quality minority teachers are not just an asset to their students, but to their white colleagues as well.

Therefore, if we're really serious about closing the achievement gap and providing a great public school for every child, we've got to be serious about teacher quality and teacher diversity, too. Bridging the licensure gap among minority teachers is an essential part of bridging all the other gaps. 

The late Hon. Shirley Chisholm once said (and she knew a thing or two about education herself, having obtained a master's degree in elementary education before serving in Congress), "Rhetoric never won a revolution yet." If we are going to truly change our schools for the better, we've got to produce more than rhetoric.

Which is why, as Valentine's Day approaches, my heart swells to tell you that NEA is not just "talking the talk" but "walking the walk"—with Tom Joyner, no less.

Joyner, a nationally syndicated radio personality and philanthropist, is partnering with NEA by providing $700,000 in financial aid, in addition to NEA's professional development expertise, to aid unlicensed teachers in completing their certification requirements. These scholarships will enable qualified education students—as well as unlicensed teachers already working in public schools with large minority student populations—to participate in programs at seven Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to prepare them for licensing exams.

NEA President Reg Weaver