NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Back to results
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Direct linkDirect link
ERIC Number: EJ1453829
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jan
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0014-4029
EISSN: EISSN-2163-5560
Ethnoracial Diversity of the Special Educator Workforce over Time
Elizabeth Bettini; Tuan D. Nguyen; Tammy Ellis-Robinson; Loretta Mason-Williams; Alex Allen-Barrett; Ayana Bass
Exceptional Children, v91 n2 p144-165 2025
Teachers of color are critical for improving students' educational experiences and outcomes, especially for students of color. Yet, more than 80% of special education teachers (SETs) in U.S. public schools are white. Thus, we examined how the ethnoracial diversity of the SET workforce changed over time, from 2012-2021, in relation to the increasingly ethnoracially diverse population of students with disabilities. Analyzing multiple waves of several nationally representative datasets, we found that any growth in the number of SETs of color nationally is wholly insufficient to keep pace with growth in the population of students of color with disabilities. With growing ethnoracial disparities between the SET workforce and the population of students with disabilities, race-evasive recruitment and retention initiatives are not justifiable. Instead, coordinated, race-conscious policies and practices are needed across policy, teacher education, and in-service school districts, to foster a SET workforce that is representative of the student population.
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2993
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A