California Educator Diversity Road Map Brief Series - Examples of Recruiting And Retaining the Teachers We Need

Sep 4, 2026

Uploaded by Jiven

This brief outlines field-informed examples to help California stakeholders recruit, retain, and support a fully prepared, diverse teacher workforce amid the statewide teacher shortage. It argues that expanding educator diversity can improve student achievement and engagement while addressing workforce needs. The document presents practical recommendations, including increasing compensation and housing support, creating new institutional pathways into teaching, and expanding traditional and alternative teacher preparation routes for racially and linguistically diverse candidates.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

Recommendation 1: Increase investments in teacher compensation and benefits

Recommendation 2: Establish new institutional pathways

Recommendation 3: Expand teacher preparation pathways

CALIFORNIA EDUCATOR DIVERSITY ROAD MAP BRIEF SERIES: Examples of Recruiting and Retaining the \#TeachersWeNeed Ensuring that students are taught by a fully prepared, diverse group of educators is one of the strongest strategies for boosting student achievement and engagement. As California state leaders, education agencies, school district decision-makers, and other stakeholders work to tackle the statewide teacher shortage, we urge them to significantly increase the number of teachers of color in classrooms across the state; this effort can both improve student achievement and address the state’s workforce needs. Here we share the following examples from the field to help stakeholders at all levels learn from, adapt, and adopt these policies and practice approaches that cultivate and support a diverse teacher workforce. The following are examples of recommendations from the field. RECOMMENDATION 1 Increase investments in teacher compensation, basic needs, and employee benefits. ■ In the 1990s, Connecticut invested heavily in minimum salary incentives for beginning teachers. By grouping these locally bargained incentives with subsidies to support candidates during teacher preparation and mentoring for all beginning instructors, the state sawa shift in its teacher labor market from shortages in its cities to statewide surpluses within three years—and was able to maintain these surpluses for more than a decade. During that decade, Connecticut’s increasingly diverse student population ranked among the top in the nation on national assessments of reading, writing, mathematics, and science. ■ In 2000, California adopted a statewide salary incentive for beginning teachers. That bill raised salaries to a minimum of $32,000 . Currently, salaries in California still begin as low as $39,000 and average $46,000, amounts that can leave many families struggling given the real cost of living in the state. Thus, California needs to adjust its salary minimum for beginning teachers. ■ New Mexico, a state with a much lower cost of living than that of California, recently adopted a $10,000 statewide salary increase for beginning teachers, bringing annual salaries for new teachers to $50,000 . ■ Current teacher housing projects being planned by Bay Area districts include an apartment complex with up to 110 units in Palo Alto, a project with 144 units for teachers now underway in Mountain View, and a recently opened 122-unit development in Daly City on land owned by the Jefferson Union High School District. ■ A recent study found 900 district-owned sites that are primed for development into affordable housing for teachers across Santa Clara, San Mateo, San Francisco, Alameda, and Contra Costa counties. ■ Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) is giving 56 educators of color affordable housing support in Oakland. California Educator Diversity Road Map: Examples of Recruiting And Retaining the Teachers We Need 1 RECOMMENDATION 2 Establish new institutional pathways that broaden opportunities for interested students and educator support staff to become teachers. ■ The Afterschool-to-Teacher Program in OUSD supports after-school program staff in pursuing careers in teaching by providing them with test preparation, credentials counseling, advocacy, cohort support, anda small stipend. ■ San Francisco Unified School District offers multiple pathways to becoming a teacher in the district, including residency models and a program for paraprofessionals to earn teaching credentials. ■ Teachers for Urban Schools is a program available at California State University Long Beach’s (CSULB) College of Education. In partnership with Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD), CSULB helps recruit and prepare teachers of color for LBUSD. ■ Cerritos College’s Teacher Trac partnership with CSULB and CSU Dominguez Hills has existed for almost 20 years. Program participants complete student teaching while in community colleg

FAQs

What is the main goal of this brief series?

To share field examples that help stakeholders recruit, retain, and support a fully prepared, diverse teacher workforce in California.

What does Recommendation 1 focus on?

Increasing investments in teacher compensation, basic needs, and employee benefits, including salary incentives and housing support.

How do the recommendations address teacher supply and diversity?

They propose broader entry pathways into teaching, expanded traditional and alternative preparation programs, and targeted support to increase the number of teachers of color and linguistically diverse educators.

Sep 4, 2026

Uploaded by Jiven