State law to improve diversity for education jobs in Connecticut

Posted on November 9, 2016

A new law will seek to improve diversity for education jobs in Connecticut.

The law will advance the state’s efforts to improve in the recruitment and retention of minority teachers in an effort to increase diversity in the classroom and ensure the state can continue to provide high-quality education for all of its students.  The Governor and State Department of Education (SDE) Commissioner Dianna Wentzell held a roundtable discussion on the topic this morning at Carmen Arace Middle School in Bloomfield to highlight these efforts.

The legislation, Public Act 16-41 – An Act Concerning the Recommendations of the Minority Teacher Recruitment Task Force, includes several provisions aimed at increasing diversity, including:

• The establishment of the Minority Teacher Recruitment Policy Oversight Committee within SDE
• The requirement of SDE to conduct an annual survey of students on the effectiveness of minority teacher recruitment programs in the state
• The requirement of SDE to report annually on the effectiveness of minority teacher recruitment programs using results-based accountability methods
• The elimination of a satisfactory score on the Praxis exam as a licensure requirement for educators and instead requires the score be used as an entry requirement into preparation programs, as determined by the preparing institution
• The requirement of SDE to review and approve proposals to create alternative route to certification programs for school support staff and to award educator certificates to qualified applicants who complete the programs
• The removal of barriers for awarding an educator certificate to out-of-state teachers
• The modification of criteria for teacher certification interstate agreements