HACU partners on National Summit on Teacher Diversity

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) is among 15 organizations partnering with The U.S. Department of Education to host a National Summit on Teacher Diversity, May 6 at the department’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The Summit, a meeting for invited participants, includes Alicia Diaz, HACU executive director of legislative affairs, speaking on "Research and Data on the Make-up of our Teaching Force." Panelists joining Diaz include: Leslie Fenwick, dean of education at Howard University; Nikki Churchwell and Charles Doolittle of the USDOED Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development.

The summit is a collaboration for participants to examine the need for a more diverse teaching force, learn from each other’s best practices, and develop commitments to recruiting, supporting, and retaining teachers of color.

In conjunction with the Summit, The U.S. Department of Education has released the report "The State of Racial Diversity in the Educator Workforce." The report reviews trends in the diversity of elementary and secondary school educators, and examines the teacher pipeline from enrollment in postsecondary education to entrance into the teaching workforce and beyond.

The Summit partners include:

• Albert Shanker Institute
• American Federation of Teachers
• Children’s Defense Fund
• Council of Chief State School Officers
• Deans for Impact
• Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities
• Howard University 
• Leading Educators
• National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education
• National Association of Elementary School Principals
• National Association of Secondary School Principals
• National Education Association
• New Leaders
• Teach For America
• The U.S. Department of Education

Photo: Alicia Diaz, executive director of legislative affairs of HACU’s Washington, D.C. office, presents at HACU’s 2016 Capitol Forum.