In so many Illinois schools, teachers don’t look like their students. 27% of Illinois K-12 students are Hispanic, but only 8% of teachers. About 17% of students are Black, but only 6% of teachers.
This isn’t just an Illinois issue. Across the country, students are much more racially diverse than their educators. A recent state-by-state analysis from The Education Trust found that Illinois has provided readily accessible data, set goals for teacher diversity and is intentionally recruiting diverse educators.
But in some of the state’s most diverse school districts, the disparity is wide. For example, in Rockford Public Schools, race is pretty evenly distributed. Close to a third of students are white, a third are Hispanic, and a third are Black. But Rockford teachers? Not so much. 87% are white, while 4% are Hispanic and 4% are Black. And…
