Task Force on Growing a Diverse K-12 Teacher Base in Iowa Final Report, December 15, 2021

(2021) Task Force on Growing a Diverse K-12 Teacher Base in Iowa Final Report, December 15, 2021. Education, Department of

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Abstract

Currently in Iowa there is a critical shortage of teachers. The shortage is even more pronounced for teachers with identities underrepresented in the teaching force. In the 2019-2020 academic year, 24.7% of Iowa students in public P-12 schools were people of color. During the same year, 2.7% of teachers were people of color and 11.3% of teacher preparation candidates were people of color. This presents a great need to recruit and retain teachers of color. The task force examined a number of potential barriers to people choosing to become teachers, with emphasis on persons with identities underrepresented in the teaching force. Recommendations are described in the Recommendations for Action section of this report.