While a variety of races and ethnicities make up the student bodies of many MCPS high schools, the same cannot be said for teachers in most of those same schools. MCPS’ effort in 2014 to diversify staff has not yielded much progress, with staff diversity changing by only four percent in four years. According to MCPS data, in 2014, 76.7 percent of teachers were white, and that number is still 72.7 percent today.
The December 2014 Teacher Workforce Diversity Strategic Plan outlined several strategies to increase teacher diversity. The plan included a recruitment program that emphasized diverse backgrounds, changing the teacher selection process to be more competitive in the job market, and establishing a retention program.
These policy changes were largely a response to the racial disparity between student and staff populations. As stated by Bethesda Magazine, the largest ethnic group in MCPS comprises Latino or Hispanic students, who make up 32.3 percent of the student population. Although white students follow as the second-largest student demographic at 28.3 percent, they are far from being the county majority.
On the other hand, MCPS records show that 80.4 percent of teachers were white in 2004. Fourteen years later, the lack of any drastic progress has caused students, parents, and community members alike to consider whether a more diverse staff could improve the learning environment.
One issue many consider sufficient justification for recruiting more minority teachers is representation. “To know that there are people that look like you, to know that there are people that are facing some of the same problems as you, and to know that you can overcome them—that’s very powerful,” said junior Daniel Williams, treasurer of Richard Montgomery’s Minority Scholars Program.
Seeing teachers who look like them may also help students feel more comfortable seeking out their teachers for help, whether they want to talk about coursework or problems outside of school. “It creates a better overall environment where students are not afraid to talk to the teachers about things that bother them and to really develop that teacher student relationship,” Williams said. “When you have a strong teacher-student relationship, you have better learning.”
To address any cultural disconnect between teachers and students of color, MCPS has trained its staff in cultural proficiency and implicit bias over the past two years, according to Bethesda Magazine. Beyond its 2014 plan, MCPS has also tried recruit teachers from Puerto Rico and historically black colleges. Groups like Building Our Network of Diversity (BOND) have lent a hand in recruiting male minority teachers.
At the same time, other students feel that teacher diversity is not an extremely pressing issue. “Personally, I think that the only responsibility of the teacher is to teach the student and give them the information that’s related to the class,” sophomore Sabrina Mei said. “I don’t feel like there is a necessary connection between what they teach and what race they are.”
Especially since such a large percentage of MCPS teachers are white, what cements a good teacher is often not race but how well they can connect with students despite any cultural barriers. “Going out of your way to talk about things other than school and actually having conversations with students is very important. Not all teachers do that, but the ones that do, it kind of does stick out,” Mei explained.
Guidance counselor Brigid McKelvey echoed these sentiments. “I think a good teacher who is skilled at what they do and cares about students can connect with a student regardless of nationality,” she said.
“If you share cultural background or a racial background with a student, then there’s a similarity that helps students to feel comfortable, and sometimes students and staff who share that can connect as well,” Ms. McKelvey added, “but I don’t think that overcomes being a good teacher. I think that comes first.”
The Board of Education will continue to follow its 2014 initiatives and aims to diversify its workforce more year by year. But even if progress might come slowly, students and staff will still work to foster a well-rounded learning environment for both today and tomorrow.
“There’s a quote that I heard way back in the beginning of my counseling years, and it said, ‘Every student when they walk into the classroom asks either consciously or unconsciously, ‘Am I capable?’ and ‘Am I accepted?’” Ms. McKelvey explained. “We need to make every classroom answer the question yes for students.”
Article by MoCo Student staff writer Helen Qian of Richard Montgomery High School