Just over half of the nation’s states, including Oregon, are graduating enough people of color from teacher colleges to significantly diversify their K-12 teacher workforce. That’s according to a recent report published by the education research nonprofit National Council on Teacher Quality.
Research has shown that learning from Black teachers, for instance, results in better academic, social and graduation outcomes for all students, not just students of color. And other studies have found that students of color who learn from diverse educators perform better on reading and math tests.
Thirteen-year-old Mykhale Mullen, who is Black and attends Harriet Tubman Middle School in Portland, said the last time he had a teacher who looked like him was in 2024…