Education Department announces $18M in grants to boost teacher diversity

Feb. 15 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Education said Wednesday that awards totaling more than $18 million will help the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers For Excellence Program boost teacher preparation programs for teachers of color.

The program is named for the first Black politician elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

It supports comprehensive, high-quality teacher preparation programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, and Minority Serving Institutions, according to the Department of Education.

"Today, more than half of our learners nationwide are students of color, and yet fewer than 1 in 5 educators come from communities of color," U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a statement. "I'll never forget the impact that my first teacher of color had on me as a student, and my experience tracks closely with years of research suggesting the profound, positive influence that educators of color have on students of all backgrounds."

This is the first time since its creation in 2008 that the Hawkins program has gotten federal funding.

The Department of Education said the teacher workforce of today doesn't look like most students. More than 50% of public school students are of color, but just roughly 25% of teachers are of color.

In January, Cardona called for bipartisan support for a "Raise The Bar" education initiative to raise education standards and challenge complacency in education.

He said them that a big challenge is the average weekly wage for teachers, which he said have increased by just 2% over the last 25 years.

According to Cardona, across the country school districts -- especially in underserved communities -- are working to deal with the longstanding teacher shortages that were made worse by the pandemic.

The Education Department statement Wednesday said the Hawkins Program builds on department efforts to strengthen and diversify the teacher pipeline to help states and school districts meet staffing needs.