In this chapter, the authors argue that increasing the racial/ethnic diversity of the teacher workforce should be a key component of any system that aims to supply schools with well-prepared teachers for all students. The authors first explain why they think attention and resources should be devoted to increasing the diversity of the teacher workforce. They then provide a brief account of minority teacher and student representation in U.S. public schools since 1950, followed by a discussion of the reasons why the percentage of minorities in the teacher workforce declined significantly during the 1970s and 1980s. They highlight important issues beyond recruitment, and then review the current situation to gauge the extent of the progress made during the past decade toward diversifying the teacher workforce. (Contains 5 tables and 2 notes.)