Education field lacks minorities

By Kelly O'Connor
Daily Staff Reporter

As minority students across Michigan zero in on a career choice and begin the search for jobs, one field is often passed over - teaching in K-12 education.

The reason for the shortage of interested minority teachers is fairly simple, said Rudy Redmond, coordinator of the King-Chavez Park Initiative for the Department of Education.

"It's really a demographic type of thing," Redmond said.

"A lot of the best and the brightest are not going into education anymore,"Redmond added.

But Redmond said that while both universities and public K-12 schools experience difficulty in recruiting minorities, efforts are being made to turn the tide.

A bill proposed by State Rep. Lynn Martinez (D-Lansing) and passed last year channeled a modest sum of $150,000 into the higher education budget for programs aiming to attract minorities.

Schools were required to submit proposals for their recruitment programs.

Competition was stiff, Martinez said, but schools were enthusiastic.

"Students need good mentors," she said.

"When students go to school, they like to see people who are in the same group as them. Diversity is important," Martinez said.

But even with extra funding, recruiting students into the School of Education is a challenge, said Education Prof. and Director of Programs for Educational Opportunity Percy Bates.

Because students may not make a decision to apply to the School of Education until they've spent a few semesters taking College of Literature Science and the Arts classes, it is difficult to seek out those who are interested.

"We don't know who's in the pipeline," Bates said, adding that the school currently tries to draw students through announcements stressing its commitment to maintaining a diverse student body.

Education junior Kristy Hobson said she doesn't think the school takes advantage of all chances to let minority students know about teaching opportunities.

"If they get in touch with black student organizations on campus, they may be able to reach more students," Hobson said.

She also said her race might play a factor in her getting a teaching job after graduation.

"Being a minority would affect my ability to get a job because the demand for teachers is so high," she said.

Without a surge of minority student interest in the teaching profession, school districts may also find it hard to mold a body of teachers that adequately represents all races.

"The competition is greater for minorities not only in Michigan but all over the country," said Arthur Williams, principal of Ann Arbor Huron High School.

Williams said he is aware of a task force formed by the school district that will implement more aggressive recruiting of minorities, such as having job fairs and bypassing the flurry of routine paper work with on-the-spot hiring.

But, he said, the shortage of diverse teachers is not a problem that will go away overnight.

"It's going to take a lot of time when you look at the demographics of who's in college," Williams said. "It's going to take a concentrated effort ... I don't see it being remedied quickly."

Bob Galardi, principal of Ann Arbor Pioneer High School, said the problem should not be reduced to a numbers game. The skills teachers have to offer should play a more important role than their race, he said.

"I need the 130 very best teachers (who) care about the kids, know the subjects and (are) creative," Galardi said. "Yes, it's important to have a diverse population that represents what is in the school, but if they're not any good, that's the worst thing."

02-24-99