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Diversifying the educator workforce: promising aspects of teacher preparation programs

  • Laurel A. LaPorte-Grimes ORCID logo EMAIL logo and Marcquis T. Parham
Published/Copyright: July 1, 2024
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Abstract

The present study contributes to the body of work addressing the need for diversity in the educator workforce. The study examines six grant-funded projects designed to increase the diversity of teacher candidates, support these candidates through licensure, and ultimately increase the diversity of the teacher workforce in Ohio. Data was gathered from Principal Investigators and other project members via mid-year and end-of-year interviews (N = 12) and analyzed using qualitative coding methods. The analysis surfaced common themes among program features, program implementation, and challenges programs encountered. The findings suggest that effective programs to diversify the educator workforce could benefit from program development that makes intentional use of several key strategies: (1) collaborative processes and relationships; (2) programmatic and individual student support; (3) targeted, personal approaches to recruitment; (4) intentional planning for financial sustainability (including the use of more than one funding stream); and (5) the creation of specific pathways from high school to career. This study further identified both internal and external systemic challenges programs encountered and highlighted effective methods for resolving issues where possible, while also identifying challenges that remained intractable.


Corresponding author: Laurel A. LaPorte-Grimes, WordFarmers, Associates, Albany, Ohio, USA, E-mail:

  1. Research funding: Any relevant grant funding support (if applicable): Support from the University of Cincinnati, Systems Development & Improvement Center.

  2. Conflict of interest: We have no known conflict of interest to disclose.

Appendix A: Types of activities mentioned by domain of DEW work

Activity Type mentioned Recruitment Retention Cultural competency Sustainability
Academic infrastructure x
Advising x x x
Awareness of related initiatives x
Capacity x
Career exposure x x
Career pathway x x x
Collaborative problem-solving x
College pathway x x x
Community-based learning x
Community building x
Cultural exposure x
Cultural sensitivity x
Culturally responsive course content x
Data collection & analysis x x
Education-related employment x
Equity training x
Financial commitment/infrastructure x
Financial support for students x x x
Hear student perspectives x
Institutional infrastructure/support x
Intentional planning x x x
Knowledge distribution x
Licensure support x x x x
Mentorship x x x x
Networking x
Partnerships x
Personal outreach x
Preservation of institutional knowledge x
Relationship building x
Removal of barriers x x x x
Representation x
Respect for lived experiences x x
Stakeholder buy-in x
Student advocacy x
Student engagement x
Student support infrastructure x x x
Targeted outreach x
Total types of activities mentioned 15 11 15 20

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Received: 2023-09-22
Accepted: 2023-10-03
Published Online: 2024-07-01

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