Assessing Efforts to Diversify Kentucky's K–12 Teacher Workforce: A Mixed-Methods Approach

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 1
  In Poster Session: School/University Collaborative Research Projects

Abstract

In an effort to improve the diversity of the state’s K-12 teaching workforce, the Kentucky Department of Education partnered with four universities to create the Teaching and Learning Career Pathway (TLCP) program. This study sought to understand the extent to which TLCP fostered diversity among 77 participants in four school districts during the 2017-18 pilot year. Specifically, racial and gender diversity other forms of diversity regarding attitudes towards teaching, enrollment goals, and open-ended survey responses were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Findings indicate that the program has not been successful in efforts to increase diversity, likely due to a lack of clearly defined program theory. An evaluability assessment (e.g., Wholey, 1994) is recommended to clearly define key goals and processes.

Authors

• Stephen M Leach, Jefferson County Public Schools

• William Kyle Ingle, University of Louisville

• Amy Lingo, University of Louisville