In California, while 60% of students in K-12 public schools are African American or Latinx, only 20% of public schools in 2018 had an African American or Latinx leader. Educators, parents, and community advocates are pushing for implementation of policies that secure pipelines, resources and training that increase the presence of Black and Latinx educators in schools. In order to improve these outcomes, the Charting the Course to Equity Coalition, in partnership with Board Member Tanya Ortiz Franklin, is introducing a resolution to increase educator diversity in LAUSD.
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More than 78,000 Black students are in schools with no Black Educators”, that is the genesis of The Black Educator Advocates Network (BEAN), who has worked in partnership with the Diversity in Leadership Institute (DLI) to develop and implement a strategic plan that increases racial diversity among public school administrators. The Charting the Course to Equity Coalition is made up of 13 organizations with a local, state, and national impact, a majority of which are Black and Brown led.
BEAN is an advocacy initiative focused on transforming the environment, practices, and policies that affect the educational experience of Black educators, administrators, students, and parents. “Seen and Affirmed: What Black Educators and Students Need to Thrive” calls for schools to build an anti-racist, culturally responsive, and inclusive environment, to hire staff that look like students, provide space for Black educators to be heard and affirmed, and create opportunities for Black educators to lead.
“The Black Educator Advocates Network was built out of necessity to push for opportunities and a voice. We truly create opportunities for Black students that build community, embed culture in everything, and establish high expectations for Black students. This is why this resolution matters, it begins to build that environment,” – Jalisa Johnson, Founding Director, Black Educator Advocates Network.
The Diversity in Leadership Institute and the Charting the Course to Equity Coalition aims to inform, equip and mobilize Black parents, students, educators, community members, and organizations to support the passage of the Black Student Excellence through Educator Diversity, Preparation, and Retention Resolution (Res-014-21/22) on February 8, 2022. The resolution will be introduced to the Los Angeles Unified School Board on January 18, 2022.
LAUSD Board Member Tanya Ortiz Franklin is not new to partnership with Ms. Johnson, and has been a collaborator with both organizations, staying true to her commitment to equity in the district, and in collaboration with community partners and organizations.
“It’s important that we continue to collectively push for diversity in leadership in our schools, and that we elevate Black and Latinx educator voices at the district level,” said Board member Ortiz Franklin.
The passing of this historic resolution in LAUSD will not only open doors and pipelines for Black and Latinx educators in the second largest school district in the country, but it will also help call attention to the need for more educator diversity.
Diversity in Leadership Institute was founded to respond to these very needs. “Our work has always been to address representation, equity and inclusion in K-12 leadership. We see this resolution as a means to increase academic and social outcomes for Black and Latinx students in California and the Coalition has worked hard to reach this” said Dr. Laura McGowan-Robinson, DLI Founder/CEO.
The Coalition set a local advocacy goal to intentionally focus on recruiting and retaining educators of color in leadership and assisting superintendents, principals and school leaders to better support Black educators. In April of 2021, Coalition members and DLI began the work of meeting with LA Unified Board Members and advocating for such a resolution.
AB520 Diversity in the Teacher Workforce 2021 bill, authored by Assembly member Mike Gipson was designed to help support male educators of color and diversify the teaching workforce, highlighting this concern across the state. Although AB520 was not adopted, it was incorporated into AB130 and signed by Governor Newsom.
The resolution, which will be introduced by Board member Tanya Ortiz Franklin, bridges parallel movements across education advocacy, all working toward a collective goal, one that builds pipelines of leadership, and inserts policies to ensure diversity at all levels. The passage of the Black Student Excellence through Educator Diversity, Preparation, and Retention Resolution (Res-014-21/22) will set the tone for other districts to adopt and invest in educators of color across the state, which will combat teacher turnover, and create a pipeline to leadership for Black Educators, and ultimately improve student outcomes.
Innovate Public Schools is a nonprofit community organization that builds the capacity of parents and educators working together to create excellent and equitable public schools.