Special Report
Equity & Diversity Infographic

How Do Educators Feel About Staff Diversity? We Asked

December 07, 2021 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The EdWeek Research Center conducted a nationally representative survey of educators about districts’ efforts to diversify their teaching and administrative ranks. Here are the details, including comparisons of results from white educators and educators of color.


How comfortable would you feel teaching in an environment where most of the teachers’ racial makeup differs from your own?

How comfortable would you feel teaching in an environment where most of the teachers’ racial makeup differs from your own? 64% of teachers felt very comfortable, 27% of them felt somewhat comfortable, 7% felt somewhat uncomfortable, and 3% were not at all comfortable. EdWeek Research Center survey data visualization, November 2021.

To what extent do you agree or disagree that school districts should hire or seek to hire more teachers and school administrators from historically marginalized racial/ethnic groups?

To what extent do you agree or disagree that school districts should hire or seek to hire more teachers and school administrators from historically marginalized racial/ethnic groups? 85% of educators of color agree compared to 71% of white educators.  EdWeek Research Center survey data visualization, November 2021.

How important is it for you to work in a district with a diverse TEACHER/EDUCATOR workforce?

How important is it for you to work in a district with a diverse TEACHER/EDUCATOR workforce? 89% of educators of color responded it was important, compared to 65% of white educators. EdWeek Research Center survey data visualization, November 2021.

How important is it for you to work in a district with a racially/ethnically diverse STUDENT population?

How important is it for you to work in a district with a racially/ethnically diverse STUDENT population? 81% of educators of color responded it was important, comparted to 59% of white educators. EdWeek Research Center survey data, November 2021.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: The political climate the last two years has made me want to leave my district.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: 
The political climate the last two years has made me want to leave my district. All respondents: 40% completely disagree, 17% somewhat disagree, 28% somewhat agree, 15% completely agree. EdWeek Research Center survey, November 2021.

How much of an effort is the school district you work for making to hire more teachers and school administrators from historically disadvantaged racial/ethnic groups?

How much of an effort is the school district you work for making to hire more teachers and school administrators from historically disadvantaged racial/ethnic groups? All respondents: No effort: 16%, Small effort 24%, Medium effort: 35%, Big effort: 25%. EdWeek Research Center survey, November 2021.

SOURCE: EdWeek Research Center survey, November 2021

A version of this article appeared in the December 08, 2021 edition of Education Week as How Do Educators Feel About School Diversity?

Events

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Equity & Diversity Decades After Brown v. Board, New Lawsuit Challenges Persistent K-12 Segregation
Segregation violates a state constitution's right to an adequate education for all, plaintiffs argue.
6 min read
Portrait of nine-year-old African-American student Linda Brown as she poses outside Sumner Elementary School, Topkea, Kansas, 1953. When her enrollment in the racially segregated school was blocked, her family initiated the landmark Civil Rights lawsuit 'Brown V. Board of Education,' that led to the beginning of integration in the US education system. (Photo by Carl Iwasaki/Getty Images)
Nine-year-old African-American student Linda Brown poses outside Sumner Elementary School in Topeka, Kan., in 1953. When her enrollment in the racially segregated school was blocked, her family initiated the landmark civil rights lawsuit <i>Brown</i> v. <i>Board of Education</i> that led to the Supreme Court decision outlawing racial segregation in U.S. schools. A new lawsuit in Massachusetts challenges persistent segregation in that state's schools.
Carl Iwasaki/Getty
Equity & Diversity School District Refuses to Sign Federal Agreement, Change Trans Student Rules
The district refused to sign the agreement despite the looming threats of funding cuts.
Taylor O'Connor, The Kansas City Star
4 min read
Kansas high school students, family members and advocates rally for transgender rights, Jan. 31, 2024, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. On Tuesday, July 2, a federal judge in Kansas blocked a federal rule expanding anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ students from being enforced in four states, including Kansas and a patchwork of places elsewhere across the nation.
Kansas high school students, family members and advocates rally for transgender rights, Jan. 31, 2024, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan.
John Hanna/AP
Equity & Diversity Opinion The Myths and Realities of Culturally Responsive Teaching
It's time to stop thinking of culturally responsive practices as one more item on the to-do list.
15 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Opinion Minnesota Students Are Living in Perilous Times, Two Teachers Explain
The federal government is committing the "greatest constancy of deliberate community harm."
6 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week