Over the past two decades, the short supply of teachers of color in elementary and secondary public schools has drawn the attention of policymakers and educators alike. To address the widening cultural chasm between teachers and their students, a variety of initiatives that aim to recruit people of color into teaching have been launched. Little…

Reviews the reasons for increasing the diversity of the teaching force, especially in urban schools. Introduces the articles of this special issue, which address the roles of federal, state, and local governments in increasing teacher diversity, discuss successful programs for increasing diversity, and describe the experiences and perspectives of…