Virtual Networks Follow Paths to Equity

In the chaos and upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been hard to keep a focus on race and equity in schools. And yet in this time of disruption of the very notion of what it means to be a teacher and how teachers do school, keeping race and equity at the center of this work is essential. In this time of exhaustion and uncertainty, there is great hope for a future beyond the pandemic that is not a return to the status quo. This hope is rooted in the power of what the collective can do and in the roles that virtual networks play in promoting that power. Virtual networks can inform and connect, they can nurture and disrupt. Networks are powerful real-world examples of the value of collectivism at work. Networks bring together people across geography, ability, and types of institutions. They harness the collective knowledge and wisdom of an array of experienced practitioners, experts, individuals, and teams. Individuals benefit from the experience of the whole, and the whole grows stronger through collaboration. Out of individualism and isolation, collectives have been forming in ways that were rarely possible when educators were bounded by time and geographic space. For educators of color, the opportunity to lean into affinity and multiracial spaces to collectively work toward dismantling racism has led to collective healing. For white educators, these networks offer a space in which they can be challenged and learn from collective wisdom without overburdening the often-limited number of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) colleagues in their settings. This shift from embracing norms of individualism ("I can figure this out myself") to collectivism ("We are in this together, and together we are stronger") represents a profound philosophical shift and is a shift to cultural ways of being often associated with Black and Brown communities throughout the world.

Teachers of Hispanic or Latino Origin: Background and School Settings in 2017-18. Data Point. NCES 2022-025

This Data Point examines the background and school settings of teachers of Hispanic or Latino origin in public and private schools in the United States before the coronavirus pandemic. It uses data from the public and private school teacher data files of the 2017-18 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), which is a national sample survey of public and private K-12 schools, principals, and teachers in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. State-level estimates can also be produced for public schools, principals, and teachers. This Data Point looks at: (1) What were the characteristics of teachers of Hispanic or Latino origin in 2017-18?, and (2) What were the characteristics of schools where teachers of Hispanic or Latino origin taught in 2017-18?

State of the American Teacher and State of the American Principal Surveys: 2022 Technical Documentation and Survey Results. Research Report. RR-A1108-3

This technical report provides information about the sample, content, and administration of the 2022 State of the American Teacher (SoT) and State of the American Principal (SoP) surveys. The SoT survey was completed by 2,360 American Teacher Panel members, and the SoP survey was completed by 1,540 American School Leader Panel members. The American Life Panel (ALP) companion survey was administered to 500 ALP members in January and February 2022. The report also describes the teacher interview protocols and qualitative methods used for interviews with SoT respondents. The SoT and SoP surveys addressed teachers' and principals' well-being (e.g., job-related stress, depression, burnout), school climate (e.g., physical safety, teacher/principal voice, staff diversity, equity, and inclusion), teachers' and principals' working conditions this school year (e.g., instructional mode, hours worked, coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19] mitigation policies, beliefs about the teaching of race, racism, and bias), and teachers' and principals' careers as educators (e.g., preparation, retention, decisions to exit). Teachers were also asked about policies that they believed would be effective for recruiting, hiring, and retaining educators of color. Principals were also asked a series of questions related to their preparation to address political topics in their schools.

Maternidad Fronteriza amidst COVID-19 Pandemic: "Testimonios" of "Mami"Scholars' Resistance

Recognizing that the burdens of Women of Color and mothers were augmented by the global pandemic and by the failure of institutions of higher education to equitably accommodate the needs of these populations, we shed light on the specific struggles experienced by MamiScholars in the era of COVID-19 in this article. We share our testimonios through the documentations of our MamiScholar realities to contest dominant narratives that would otherwise continue to undermine the legitimacy of our needs and demands during COVID-19. We further coin and define the concept of maternidad fronteriza, exploring the balance of being mothers of littles ones on the tenure clock. This article advances our understandings of challenges MotherScholars of Color face in institutions of higher education while providing recommendations about specific changes universities can make to produce equitable outcomes that address their specific needs.

Recruitment and Retention of Bilingual Graduate Students in School Psychology: Efforts and Challenges in Increasing Professional Diversity

The main goal of this paper is to illustrate recruitment efforts, strategies, and challenges in the process of training bilingual school psychologists to serve diverse schools. First, we address the acute and chronic shortage of bilingual school psychologists in the United States, particularly in urban schools where student populations are increasingly diverse. Then we provide a review of strategies and efforts to recruit and retain bilingual graduate-level learners in one school psychology program in an urban university. Quantitative data regarding recruitment and retention efforts are discussed. We identify challenges and future directions to increase diversity in the field of school psychology.

Achieving Racial Justice in PreK-12 Education

The road to achieving racial justice in the nation is marked by times of unspeakable tragedy followed by resilience and recovery and unexpected setbacks overcome by reinvention. As the nation emerges from a devastating and deadly pandemic, it stands again on the precipice of recovery and reinvention. Many school districts have returned to normal, with the majority of students and teachers back in the classroom. Yet what is needed to propel the nation towards a more just society is a collective understanding that we cannot just go back to normal. The pandemic illuminated a narrative that the advocates for racial justice in education have been working tirelessly to both highlight and change: Normal was not good enough, especially for students of color. And despite much progress in providing opportunities and access in service of educational equity, disturbing racial inequities remain. As regulators and advocates, state boards of education have a crucial role to play in creating and maintaining a racially just system, from setting the requirements for teacher and school leader preparation programs so they foster a diverse workforce, to establishing statewide learning standards that require culturally relevant teaching and curriculum. In this article, John B. King Jr. and Denise Forte examine how progress is possible, however back to normal is not good enough.