(Page 1 of 4) - Teacher Recruitment Strategies for Diverse Candidates from Middle Schools, High Schools, and Two-Year Institutions authored by Fenton, Anne. and Brown, Susan.

AACTE 2007 Annual Meeting Conference Proposal

Conference Strand: Improve All Educators’ Ability to Serve Diverse Learners

Section I: Content

A. Statement of the Problem

In order the prepare quality educators and sustain them, teacher preparatory programs

must attract and encourage the best and brightest teacher candidates. As our schools become
more diverse, recruitment efforts must focus on attracting diverse candidates, from middle
schools, high schools, and two-year partner institutions who reflect the increasing racial,
linguistic, and cultural diversity in P-12 schools. As accrediting agencies such as the Board of
Regents, National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, and Professional Standards
Commission require increased accountability in all educators’ ability to serve diverse learners,
teacher preparatory programs in colleges and universities must be able to recruit high quality
candidates for success in meeting the needs of all P-12 learners. The purpose of this four year
study is to determine the impact of a collaborative future educators’ on-campus retreat with
partnership school systems on minority teacher recruitment at the high school level, with
implications for minority teacher recruitment from the middle school level and from two-year
partner institutions.

B. Literature review:

According to Protheroe, Lewis, and Paik (2002) and the U.S. Department of Education

(2000), the most important ingredient in the achievement of P-12 learners is teacher quality.
Having ineffective teaching in the classroom can have long-lasting negative effects on student
learning. Recruiting the best and brightest is paramount. In addition, as today’s classrooms
reflect the increased diversity of the communities they serve, colleges and universities can offer
true quality and leadership in teacher education by embracing diversity through collaborative
recruitment efforts aimed at minority students. According to Jorgenson, 2002, schools face a
shortage of minority teachers and recruiting prospective teachers in high schools should not be
ignored. The minority student population growth far outnumbers the number of minority
teachers in public schools, and the number of minority teachers continues to decline (Holloway,
2002).

As part of a recruitment plan, teacher preparatory programs can initiate and implement a

collaborative on-campus retreat for middle school students and high school students from partner
school systems, as well as from two-year partner institutions, that is aimed at recruiting the best
and brightest from diverse groups for careers in teaching. This recruitment model fosters strong
partnerships with other departments on-campus, local schools, school systems, and business and
community partners. A Future Educators’ On-Campus Retreat helps colleges and universities
face the issues and challenges of recruiting tomorrow’s teacher leaders who have the ability to
serve diverse learners for optimal achievement.

C. Contribution:

The current study relates to the conference strand as the results of the quantitative and

qualitative data point to quality recruitment strategies to increase the diversity of education
candidates using reliable data to influence decisions for program enhancement. Using the
conclusions of the evidence-based assessments and evaluations, schools, colleges, and
departments of education can work together to enhance recruitment efforts that focus on high