Diversifying the Teaching Profession
The Diversifying the Teaching Profession (DTP) project is a one-year recruitment and retention project (June 2021 – June 2022) funded by the New Jersey Department of Education. The project is centered on developing detailed plans for recruiting and retaining teachers of color in four Rutgers Graduate School of Education partner districts– Neptune Township Public Schools, New Brunswick Public Schools, North Brunswick Township Public Schools, and Rahway Township Public Schools. The GSE DTP project generated several important and sustaining outcomes:
- Teams of five Teacher Leaders of Color (TLOC) from four GSE: CSPN partner districts were trained and developed district level plans for diversifying the partner districts’ workforces. This cadre of 20 TLOCs will continue to support the GSE’s mission as partners and allies in the preparation of diverse teacher candidates.
- Fourteen GSE teacher candidates were selected as DTP Fellows, who received additional support and were provided guidance by the Teacher Leaders of Color.
- The first annual Navigating the Workplace as a BIPOC Teacher Panel was held on May 5, 2022, with a panel of teacher leaders of color. This event will be an annual signature event for the GSE Urban Social Justice Teacher Preparation Program.
- The first annual Administrator Panel, Leading for Equity: Curriculum and Policy in a Polarized Political Climate, was held to focus on November 9, 2021. This will now be an annual event for all GSE: CSPN partnership districts.
- This year, the TLOCs, GSE DTP Fellows, and all teacher preparation candidates received a copy of Teachers of Color: Resisting Racism and Reclaiming Education by Rita Kohli. This book was widely discussed throughout the clinical experiences of GSE candidates and was used as a core text among the TLOCs. The GSE will continue the tradition of identifying and sharing an annual core text focused on improving the educational experience for students of color and ensuring that teachers of color are supported and prioritized.
- The DTP project helped to develop a Land Acknowledgement that was used to start and center every session. It will continue to be used broadly at the GSE.
- The DTP project contributed to the development of a set of Shared Group Norms and Shared Group Beliefs that functioned to center and unify the members. These norms and beliefs will continue to frame and organize the work at the GSE.