PROMOTING TEACHER AND PSRP DIVERSITY IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION THROUGH HIGHER EDUCATION

WHEREAS, the American Federation of Teachers believes that our nation is strengthened and enriched by its broad and deep diversity; and

WHEREAS, the AFT proudly supported the great civil rights movement of the past century, the landmark cases, and events that framed them, from the Brown v. Board of Education case to the 1963 march on Washington; and

WHEREAS, the history and present policies of the AFT demonstrate a commitment to diversity; and

WHEREAS, according to the U.S. Census, for the first time In history the majority of babies born in the U.S. during 2011 were babies of color, and by the year 2020 the shared African-American and Hispanic student population is predicted to increase from the current level of 38 percent to 52 percent, which In many major cities, such as Chicago, Miami, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Detroit, students of color already make up more than 52 percent of the student population; and

WHEREAS, of the 3.2 million public school teachers currently educating the nation's 49 million children, only 7 percent are African-American and 6 percent Hispanic, and of more than 13,500 public school superintendents in the U.S., only 363 are African-American and an estimated 250 are Latino/a; and

WHEREAS, the public school teaching force continues to experience a low level of male teachers, decreasing from 31 percent in 1986 to the current level of 16 percent; and

WHEREAS, there is a need for a committed, focused effort to ensure that the diversity of the teacher/PSRP population keeps pace with the changing demographics and needs of students:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers reaffirm its strong support to reclaim the promise of the Brown decision during this 60th anniversary year; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT shall maintain and expand its working relationships with local, state and national organizations that share a commitment to a diverse teacher and PSRP workforce to develop, execute and sustain a program that addresses the entire pathway to teaching, which includes the core components of recruitment, preparation and retention; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT encourage its local affiliates to work with their local teacher and PSRP recruitment partners, especially historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and minority-serving institutions to promote diversity in local recruitments efforts; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT encourage its local affiliates that represent paras and other school employees to develop a career ladder for members to become teachers; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT provide a companion effort for teachers and PSRPs already in the classroom to equip them with the information, tools and skills that increase their ability to teach students from diverse racial, ethnic, cultural and national backgrounds; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT collect and publish summaries of research analyzing impediments to teacher and PSRP diversity and strategies/best practices that have successfully increased the number of teachers and PSRPs of color who stay in the profession beyond the initial five years; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT gather and widely disseminate information from members through a survey and focus group about their successes in working on the issue; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT utilize its findings to formulate policy proposals and offer technical assistance to enable unions to take effective action in these areas.