National Education Association Study Finds 'Diversity Gap' Between Student Population, Teachers

The United States has long been known as a "melting pot" and that title has never been truer, as diversity is at a record high with Hispanics/Latinos dominating as the largest minority population in the country. According to Pew Research Center, there are almost 52 million Hispanics/Latinos -- Mexicans make up two-thirds of the Hispanic/Latino population, followed by Puerto Ricans, Salvadorans, Cubans, Dominicans, Guatemalans and Colombians.

The diversity seen in the general population ultimately trickles down to the education system with the breakdown of races seen in schools. In fact, a new study from the Center for American Progress has found that almost half the student population in the American public school system are nonwhite with 23 percent being Hispanic/Latino, 16 percent African-American, and 5 percent Asian. This value is a significant increase from previous years -- minorities made up 31 percent of public school students in 1993 and 41 percent in 2003 -- and the rates are expected to rise.

"We project that this fall, for the first time in American history, the majority of public school students in America will be nonwhite," said Education Secretary Arne Duncan, reports the Associated Press.

While the student population is seeing an increase in diversity, the same trend is not being observed amongst teachers as a "diversity gap" has been spotted. A study from the National Education Association (NEA) has found that of the 3.3 million public school teachers in America, 82 percent are white, 8 percent are Hispanic/Latino, 7 percent are African-American, and 2 percent are Asians.

"Whatever the root cause of the lack of diversity among the teacher workforce, one thing is clear: States and districts have not done enough to address the issue," said Ulrich Boser, the author of the report. "Few states have created rigorous programs to help individuals of color enter the teaching profession. Not nearly enough districts have offered bonuses or other benefits to people of color who are interested in becoming educators. To make matters worse, in some cities, such as Boston, the number of black teachers is actually declining."

With Hispanics/Latinos being the largest minority group and the fastest-growing one, the school demographics are changing accordingly too. The studies have found that Hispanics/Latinos have not only surpassed African-Americans in the student population as the largest minority group, but also as the largest minority group of teachers.

In a perfect world, the racial background of a teacher should not matter and education quality should be the only factor. But many experts are making the case that having teachers of their own-race can help students. In fact, few preliminary studies have found that students have higher level of achievement with teachers of their own race. Should these studies be reflective of how students learn, then the increase in Hispanic/Latino student body means it is vital for the teacher population to have more Hispanics/Latinos.