This blog post is a deeper dive in to a topic we are covering on our social media channels. As with many areas of our work, there is nuance and more can be said than there is space within character limits! So, going forward, we will occasionally be bringing the conversations back here to the blog to dive in more thoroughly.
At Integrated Schools, one of the essential components of our Theory of Change is Advocate: To build a constituency for brave policy. We believe strongly in principles rooted in equity, one such principle being that all kids benefit from a diverse, multiracial teaching corps. And since we know that the majority of teachers across the country are white women, we clearly have a lot of work to do to support Black teachers and help grow our pool of teachers to more accurately represent our student population.
In this article, USA Today discusses the basic skills tests required for entry into teacher preparation programs. They specifically look at how these entry tests create a steep barrier for Black and brown students who wish to become teachers. USA Today says, “Education leaders from colleges and universities across the country say they’ve met and mentored [so many] students who might’ve made strong teachers, but were thwarted by… ‘basic skills tests’ that states have long required for entry into teacher preparation programs.”
The article then looks at states who have removed these entry tests (like Louisiana) and at the effects the removal has had on program enrollment and graduation. For example, in Louisiana, the dean of the Grambling State University College of Education, Debbie Thomas, says, “Without a need to provide test prep for [basic skills entry tests], staff can now offer more targeted resources for students’ individual disciplines.” She adds, “We used [the entry test removal] as an opportunity to reinforce — and in some ways redesign — the academic support to ensure students’ success.”
Paula Calderon, dean of Southeastern Louisiana University College of Education says, “The basic skills [entry] test is just a very expensive, glorified ACT exam or SAT exam” (which are) needlessly duplicative and burdensome. Along with her role as dean, Calderon is also part of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), and in 2021, the AACTE conducted an in depth study of the history of these basic skills entry tests. Their study found the negative impact of these entry tests on teachers of color has been profound and persistent for decades.
On top of this, the connection between a basic skills test score and a teacher’s future effectiveness in the classroom is mixed at best, and at worst, the connection doesn’t exist at all. The article explains that “there’s a body of research examining whether there are links between performance on these assessments and eventual effectiveness in the classroom.” They go on to say that, “many proponents of eliminating basic skills test requirements argue that existing studies show little to no correlation, while opponents of [the tests] point to research showing a positive relationship.” The article then interviews Dan Goldhaber, a research expert on teacher certification and effectiveness. Goldhaber says, “the reality of [the connection between this test and future teacher performance] is nuanced” and that all “tests are imperfect.” He then explains that, of course, “If the [test] standard is set [too] low, some ill-equipped candidates will end up at the front of a classroom.” However, “If the standard is set [needlessly] high, some potentially effective educators will never get a chance to teach.”
We’re highlighting this article to show how school segregation still happens today and how it often happens in insidious ways. Yes, Brown v. Board made school segregation federally illegal, but that doesn’t mean Brown v. Board actually ended segregation. In fact, in the midst of progressive strides like Brown v. Board, those that refused to let go of segregation found a way (and continue to find a way) to limit and thwart integration anywhere they can such as discriminating against Black teachers and preventing Black and brown college students from becoming teachers in the first place. Creating systemic barriers like this shows how, despite progressive strides like Brown v. Board, those that refuse to let go of segregation find a way to limit and thwart integration. For instance, our public education system is legally desegregated and simultaneously discriminates against Black teachers and prevents Black and brown college students from becoming teachers in the first place. Systemic barriers and insidious discrimination like this shows how segregation isn’t an issue of the past.
One step you can take? Share with your school board your belief that those in charge of teacher hiring should be prioritizing hiring policies that hire, support, and retain more teachers of color.
Read the full USA Today article here and learn more about our work and how you can help end segregation on our website
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