UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools

The educator workforce remains overwhelmingly White and female despite the majority of U.S. students are students of color. In California, while only 20% of students identified as White during the 2023-24 school year, 65% of the state’s teacher workforce was White, with Hispanic or Latinx teachers comprising 20% and other racial groups making up the remaining 15%. Drawing from national teacher educator survey data and findings, this brief examines the Trump administration’s blatant attack on Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and its implications around existing federal teacher grants that have been effective in attracting and retaining teachers—and especially teachers of color.  This report also examines current key areas such as  recruitment challenges, rural and remote district pipelines and pathways, diversity among preservice teachers, and the report explains how states differ  with respect to how they rely on federal matching funds that have contributed to increasing and retaining teachers.  The report concludes with specific recommendations for policymakers seeking to address teacher shortages, supporting existing pipelines floor educator diversity, and underscoring the importance of seeing educational diversity as our nation’s most critical moral imperative.