DRIVE Task Force

Supporting Teacher Diversity

In December 2019, over 300 practitioners and stakeholders came together from across the state to highlight the need for, and strategies to develop and sustain, a diverse educator workforce at the Developing a Representative and Inclusive Vision for Education (DRIVE) Summit. During the Summit, Governor Roy Cooper announced Executive Order 113 establishing the DRIVE Task Force.

 

Developing a Representative and Inclusive Vision for Education

Nationwide, there is a significant disparity between the racial and ethnic diversity of our K-12 educator workforce and that of the student population they serve. Yet, studies show that a diverse educator workforce benefits all students, and especially students of color.

In North Carolina:

  • 53 percent of students are nonwhite, while this is only true of 22 percent of the state’s educators.
  • While the diversity of the teacher workforce is slowly increasing, the student population is diversifying at a much faster rate.
  • North Carolina needs 7,000 new teachers each year, and 81 percent of students enrolled in educator preparation programs are white.

Recognizing that North Carolina’s K-12 teacher population does not reflect the racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversity of its student population, The Hunt Institute, the North Carolina Business Committee for Education, and the Office of North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper partnered to hold the DRIVE Summit to draw attention to these disparities and create a forum to discuss issues related to diversifying the educator workforce.

Throughout the day-long Summit, state and national experts and practitioners spoke to the challenges and opportunities facing the state as it relates to recruiting, preparing, supporting, and retaining educators of color. Governor Roy Cooper’s announcement of Executive Order 113 establishing the DRIVE Task Force cemented the state’s commitment to this issue.

Read the Issue Brief and Key Takeaways from The DRIVE Summit below.

 

"Education leaders across the country must broaden the focus of equity in education to include supporting, investing and empowering educators of color.” - Dr. Javaid Siddiqi, President & CEO

The DRIVE Task Force

Following the DRIVE Summit, Governor Cooper appointed 34 members to the task force, representing stakeholder groups across North Carolina’s educator pipeline. The Task Force was charged with creating a plan of action to increase racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversity within North Carolina’s educator workforce. This plan, presented to the Governor on January 1, 2021, includes analysis of the current landscape of educator diversity in North Carolina as well as potential strategies, metrics, and funding streams that can be utilized to inform the state’s work in this space moving forward.

The Task Force began its work in May of 2020 and met four times throughout the remainder of the year. The meetings dates and topics were as follows:

  • May 7, 2020: The Landscape, History, and Imperative
  • June 16, 2020: Recruitment
  • August 18, 2020: Preparation
  • October 20, 2020: Support and Retention
  • December 7, 2020: Final Meeting and Approval of Recommendations

Read the Final Report as well as the Issue Briefs and Key Takeaway documents from the four meetings below.

Final Report

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meeting 1: The Landscape, History, and Imperative

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meeting 2: Recruitment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meeting 3: Preparation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meeting 4: Support and Retention