By 2035, the percentage of certified K-12 teachers in Philadelphia will increase and the racial/ethnic make up of the city's teaching workforce will be more reflective of its students.
Research shows that diverse, well-trained teachers and school professionals are positively related to student achievement, higher graduation rates, school attendance, and post-secondary completion.
In Philadelphia and across the state, though, the teacher pipeline is shrinking and severely lacking in diversity. Recent figures paint the picture: In Pennsylvania, 7.7% of all teachers — nearly 9,600 — left their positions in the 2022-23 school year and are no longer teaching in the state [1]; Philadelphia’s teacher attrition rates were the highest in the state at more than 15% [2]. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, more than 15,000 in-state certifications were issued during the 2010-11 school year. By 2021-22, that number had dropped to approximately 4,200. Nationally and locally, Black, Hispanic, Asian, and other teachers of color are underrepresented compared to the population of students they serve. In Philadelphia schools, 86% of students identify as people of color, while only 32% of teachers do [3].
In order to increase the likelihood of student success in Philadelphia, we are focusing on increasing the percentage of certified teachers and their racial/ethnic alignment with our students.
In advancing this objective, we recognize that there are many ways to recruit and retain high-quality and diverse teachers in the Philadelphia. Possible efforts may include activities like teacher residencies, quality improvement for teacher preparation programs, career exploration opportunities, and teacher mentorship programs. We are seeking to support projects and programs that organizations in Philadelphia believe will be most effective in making progress on the objective above.
We measure progress for this objective by tracking the percentage of certificates issued by teacher preparation programs in Philadelphia, the percentage of Philadelphia classroom teachers with emergency permits, and the racial composition of classroom teachers and students.
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