GCPS Minority Recruitment and Retention Plan Update

Goochland County Public Schools

November 10, 2020

​

Why?

Research shows that when a minority student has at least one same race teacher,

• Achievement on standardized tests improves.
• Attendance improves.
• Suspensions decrease.

​

​

​

Why?

Research shows that when a Black male student has at least one Black teacher in 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade, he is significantly less likely to drop out of high school and more likely to aspire to attend a four-year college.

These effects are especially pronounced for economically disadvantaged Black male students. Exposure to at least one Black teacher in elementary school reduces his probability of dropping out of high school by nearly 40 percent.

​

​

​

Why?

A diverse professional staff benefits all students, in their present and future experience in a diversifying nation and world.

White students being exposed to minority teachers can help disrupt what are often one-sided portrayals of the world and offer invaluable insight to students from different backgrounds. Lessons learned in classrooms can often vary because of who is delivering the instruction.

​

​

I

​

​

Minority Teachers in GCPS and Beyond

Minority Teachers in GCPS and Beyond

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), “Public School Teacher Data File,” 2003–04; and National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), “Public School Teacher Data File,” 2015–16. See Digest of Education Statistics 2017, table 209.10.

Demographic Analysis: Student Enrollment

Minority Teachers in GCPS

Minority resignations: 5

​

Minority hires: 4

Takeaways

• While minority students comprise 27% of students in GCPS (14% Black, 7% Hispanic, 6% Asian and 2 or more races), 8% of professional staff (leadership, teachers, librarians, counselors) are minority in GCPS.
• 2019 recruitment resulted in the hiring of 4 minority teachers; however, retention of existing minority teachers diluted the positive impact of the hiring efforts.
• Elementary levels are shown to be especially significant for Black students and their exposure to Black teachers, but elementary teacher ranks have not grown in diversity.
• The gap between Hispanic students and Hispanic teachers is nearly as significant as the gap between Black students and Black teachers in GCPS.
• Targeted efforts must be made in specific schools, at leadership ranks, and within the ranks of school-based support staff (counselors, librarians, ITCs).

Next Steps

Staffing our classrooms and our leadership ranks with minority professionals helps to maximize the potential of any learner.

​

​

To fulfill our mission, the recruitment and retention of minority teachers must be priorities.

​

Goal for 2019 (presented 2018): GCPS will hire minority teachers for at least 15% of teacher job openings in the 2018-2019 hiring season in preparation for the 2019-2020 school year to more closely match the proportion of minority students enrolled in the division.

​

2019 Result: 4 out of 25 hires were minority teachers (16%)

​

Next Steps

​

​

​

To fulfill our mission, the recruitment and retention of minority teachers must be priorities.

​

Recruitment goal for GCPS to support the mission of the division: The GCPS professional workforce will, at a minimum, mirror the overall student population in racial and ethnic diversity.

​

Goal for 2020: Retain ALL GCPS minority professionals and recruit toward improvement in overall proportion of minority professionals to minority students.

​

Next Steps

Objectives and Strategies

​

​

Objective: Engage the community in recruitment and retention of professional staff that mirrors the student population in GCPS.

Strategies:

• Ongoing and regular feedback gathering from community leaders to discuss challenges and opportunities related to the workforce and to collaboratively develop strategies and solutions to increase workforce diversity (In progress)✅(Minority Employee Focus Group, ACEE, Individual meetings with stakeholders, Jerusalem Baptist Church Youth Group, Goochland County Government focus group)
• Regular (monthly) and transparent reporting of progress and action steps from Assistant Superintendent for Administration and Human Resources staff to the community (begin December 2019).🔴(Improvement 2020: standing agenda item for ACEE, fall plan update, spring/summer recruitment update)
• Consideration of diversity, inclusion and equity in the 2026 GCPS Strategic Plan (2020 approval).✅

​

​

​

​

Objectives and Strategies

​

​

Objective: Engage the community in recruitment and retention of professional staff that mirrors the student population in GCPS.

Strategies:

• Convene Recruitment and Retention Focus Group, consisting of current GCPS minority professional staff, bimonthly beginning September 2019 (in progress).✅
• Continue to collaborate with Goochland Ministers Conference and expand involvement across the community (by January 1, 2020).✅
• Work with local universities to establish practicum and student teaching opportunities in Goochland (by January 1, 2020 for implementation no later than fall 2020).✅
• Conduct yearly analysis of exit survey data and conduct face to face exit interviews as agreed upon to gather deeper feedback (ongoing).✅
• NEW: Conduct stay interviews for employees, minority “stay focus group”.
• NEW: Propose “homestays” in collaboration with ACEE for student teacher/practicum students-sell the Goochland community to support schools recruitment.

​

​

​

Objectives and Strategies

Objective: Strategically facilitate recruitment in order to maximize the opportunities to recruit minority teachers.

Strategies:

• Continue recruitment presence at locations representing high concentrations of minority candidates and enlist the support of community members to assist on site at events (Jan-May 2020). ✅
• Host an on-site recruitment day during university winter breaks for minority candidates (Tentatively scheduled for 12.15.2020-evaluate virtual and in-person platforms).✅
• Evaluate and adjust publicity materials (website, social media) for division-wide communications toward greater inclusivity and expand distribution mechanisms (In progress). ✅
• Adjust advertising for positions and expand to national sorority and fraternal organizations, all professional organizations, faith based establishments, local and regional media outlets (Jan-May 2020). ✅

�

​

Objectives and Strategies

Objective: Leverage existing human resources and instructional programming in GCPS to attract and retain minority professionals.

Strategies:

• Develop a “grow your own” program to incentivize current and former GHS students to return to GCPS to teach (present for Board approval by 2/20).✅
• NEW: Publicize Grow Your Own program beginning January 2021; develop details of incentives with feedback of current TFT students. Campus visit to Longwood for prospective Misters to be scheduled in Spring 2021, pending pandemic conditions, developing dual enrollment Teach for Tomorrow offerings with Longwood
• Encourage and grow interested current GCPS instructional assistants and support staff into teachers through support of education and preparation (survey current IAs by 11/30/19).🔴
• NEW: Survey support staff to gauge interest by 12.18.2020.
• Leverage the newly-rejuvenated Teachers for Tomorrow program to identify future educators and encourage their entry into the profession (In progress).�

​

Objectives and Strategies

Objective: Leverage existing human resources and instructional programming in GCPS to attract and retain minority professionals.

Strategies:

• Continue involvement in the Longwood University Call Me Mister Program (in progress).✅
• NEW: Meeting held with current Misters cohort and Longwood dean in October; invitations are being prepared to invite all Misters to 12.15 recruitment event.
• Leverage ALL staff and relationships-meet with each faculty to deliver personal message about needs, explore programming to recognize referrals (meet with faculties prior to 2/1/2020).🔴
• NEW: ACEE suggestion-referral bonus program (consider in budget), provide entire faculty and staff with monthly recruitment updates.�

​

Building an Inclusive Mindset

“...evidence suggests that it would make a difference to train and hire more diverse teachers. But researchers say there’s also something that schools can do immediately, with the teachers they already have: teach them about their biases and stereotypes. It can lead to fairer treatment of students.”

“...no matter their demographics, teachers can overcome some of the effects of bias: ‘Signal to your students your deep faith in their capacity to learn, coupled with your high expectations that they’ll do great things, full stop.’”

• Work to create a workplace grounded in understanding of others, awareness of self, and inclusivity, continue to nurture and support broad participation in VCIC work.
• Support ALL teachers through strategic mentoring and individual support.

Who is Responsible?

All of us.