The Importance of a diverse teacher workforce

“An impressive body of research shows that teachers of color improve both academic and nonacademic outcomes for students of color.”

--In Pursuit of Greatness: Bold Strategies to Grow a Strong and Diverse Educator Workforce, produced by MassINC.

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has a stated goal of increasing the diversity of the teacher workforce to 25% by 2030. Despite significant progress in the last decade, especially in the Western Mass region, we are hovering at only 10% teachers of color in 2026, a full 15% away from the goal.

And even more concerning, last year was the first year that the % of teachers of color decreased in the Commonwealth. We can not afford to lose the progress we have worked so hard to achieve.

What can we do about this? What is DESE doing about this? What can Governor Healey and her administration doing about this?

January 27, 2026