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Diversifying the special education teacher workforce could benefit US schools

Teachers of color positively impact all students, . Yet, the special education teacher workforce is .

In our recent research, we found that special education teacher demographics are with changes in the student population.

In 2012, about 80% of U.S. public school teachers were white, including about , while less than 20% were teachers of color. By contrast, in the same year, students of color constituted 47% of those diagnosed with disabilities.

In our recent study, we examined whether these numbers have changed. Analyzing multiple national datasets on the teacher workforce, we found the of color has been static, even as the student population is rapidly becoming more diverse.

So, the special education teacher workforce is actually of the student population over time. Specifically, in 2012, 16.5% of special education teachers were people of color, compared with 17.1% in 2021. In that same span, the share of students with disabilities who are students of color rose from 47.3% in 2012 to 53.9% in 2021.

In fact, for the special education teacher workforce to become representative of the student population, U.S. schools would need to triple the number of special education teachers of color.

As and , we are concerned that this disparity will affect the students receive.

Why does a diverse teacher workforce matter?

For children of color, the : Teachers of color are, , more effective than white teachers in providing positive educational experiences and outcomes for students of color, including .

One study found that low-income Black male students who had one Black teacher in third, fourth or fifth grade were 39% less likely to drop out of high school and 29% .

Moreover, teachers of color are just as effective as white teachers—and —in teaching white students.

Providing pathways

The U.S. has institutions dedicated to attracting and retaining educators of color: Programs at historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions and other minority-serving institutions prepare a .

Further, many local initiatives support educators of color and attract teachers who might not otherwise have opportunities to join the profession.

These include: Grow Your Own programs that teachers of color , teacher residency programs that , and scholarships and loan forgiveness programs that .

However, the U.S. educator workforce faces broad challenges with in the teaching profession and declining enrollment in . In this context, our findings indicate that without significant investments, the teacher workforce is likely to —at significant cost to students with disabilities.

Anti-DEI movement cuts funding

While there have been long-standing challenges, recent steps taken by the Trump administration could limit efforts to boost teacher diversity.

In its push to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs, the for programs designed to develop a diverse educator workforce.

The millions of dollars dedicated to training teachers to work in underfunded, high-poverty schools and has threatened additional funding cuts to universities engaging in .

These federal actions make the teacher workforce less adept at addressing the substantial challenges facing U.S. schools, such as and persistent in student outcomes.

Given the strong evidence of the benefits of teachers of color and the national trends that our research uncovered, federal and state investments should prioritize supporting prospective teachers of color.