Local education leaders say teacher diversity in Minnesota schools is a real problem. Now, there’s a new statewide goal to create more opportunities for teachers of color.
The Asian heritage is something Kaohly Her and her family are extremely proud of, but as a first-generation immigrant, she’s working to make one part of her children’s education different.
“They’re experiencing the exact same thing that I did 20 years ago,” Kaohly Her, a mother of two in St. Paul, said.
Her says her seventh-grader has a teacher of color for the first time in her life.
“She said that she had never felt so comfortable in a classroom before and that she wasn’t afraid to share her truth,” Her said.
Beyond the Her family, the Minnesota Education Equity Partnership says teacher diversity is an issue for the rest of our state, too.
“I think this has always been a concern,” Her said.
Ninety-six percent of all teachers in Minnesota are white. By 2020, education leaders want to double the amount of teachers of color. Currently, 28 percent of all Minnesota students are not white.
For the complete news article from ABC News Channel 5 click here.
Contact: Robert Boos, Metropolitan State University
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