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.
owing the DRIVE Summit, Governor Cooper appointed 
