On September 6, 2017, the Tennessee Department of Education announced that five school districts were recipients of their Phase I Diversity Innovation Planning Grant. As winners, they are to receive funds from the state “to encourage innovative practices in districts around recruiting diverse, high-quality teachers and to better reflect the student population of Tennessee’s public schools.” The Planning grant occurs in two phases; the first consisted of developing a theory of action, and the second designated as “implementation” funds for the purpose of putting those theories into action. Metro Nashville Public Schools is one such district receiving TDOE funds, totaling $35,000 spread across five total winning districts. Though it is as yet unclear what MNPS intends to do with their portion of phase I funds, there are multiple courses of action which will get the district the active representation it needs.
Priority for Diversity Innovation grants went to school districts “with a Black, Hispanic, and Native American (BHN) student population greater than the state average (35%) and/or a BHN teacher population lower than the state average (15%).” According to school year 2015-2016 data, MNPS has a minority student population of over 60%, yet its teacher workforce is primarily white. More specifically, approximately one out of four certified MNPS teachers identify as African American. When analyzing the same data for teachers of Latinx origin, that number drops to one out of over two-hundred. Furthermore, MNPS has seen increased enrollment from New Americans, and rising numbers of immigrants have resulted in a positive increase in minority auxiliary staff but has done little to affect the teaching population.
According to grant stipulations, implementation funds can be used for a variety of recruitment tactics including partnering with neighboring districts for targeted recruitment, building recruitment efforts at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, or even a “grow your own” approach which involves instituting “Future Teacher” clubs in local high schools. It is as of yet unclear which approach Metro Nashville schools will take, but one viable option would be for the district to create opportunities wherein its multicultural auxiliary and paraprofessional staff have opportunities to become teachers. As the district already has programming implemented to groom future Principals, it would not be an illogical step for them to mimic this tool for paraprofessionals who wish to enter the teaching profession. In addition, the district already has future teacher programs in several academies across the district, and could do more to engage these students in their future career path. If the district aims to truly be “innovative” with their innovation funds, they should charter new paths to professional teaching.
In 2009 The United States Department of Education created a “Transition To Teaching” competitive grant program which sought to place highly qualified paraprofessionals and recent graduates into teaching positions in high-needs schools. With public education in Davidson County under a state of duress, it is arguable that the district itself is high-needs, and competitive paraprofessionals could do much to cure the low reading proficiency rates proliferating throughout the district. Furthermore, many neighboring states including Georgia, Texas, and Arkansas are former recipients of grant funds from the “Transition To Teaching” program, and have seen success in training and certifying paraprofessionals. Paraprofessionals are increasingly bilingual, members of diverse populations, and create intersectional opportunities which directly relate to the cultural experience of many children.
According to MNPS, their current recruitment and retention funds are approximately $2.2 million, but this amount also includes the Talent Acquisition team along with other vendor and expense items such as travel, sign-on bonuses, advertising and promotion, and systems and supplies. It is unclear if Phase II funds from the State of Tennessee will do much to impact a well-funded program, if that program is not maximizing the use of its present funds. By pulling from the district’s current paraprofessional pool, MNPS will see a marked increase in minority representation in the teacher pool, as well as create pipelines which leverage unique skills and lived experience into classrooms which will enrich overall student experience. As research has shown, students benefit when their teacher-leader is a reflection of themselves.
- From: https://www.tn.gov/education/news/53031
- From: http://www.tosstn.com/new-events/2017/11/15/tdoe-diversity-innovation-grant-proposal-deadline
- From: https://www.tn.gov/education/topic/report-card