NHPS Aims For 1/3 Teachers Of Color

Schools officials unveiled a plan to increase the number of educators of color in New Haven classrooms by 15 percent in three years.

Superintendent Madeline Negrón and Coordinator of Recruitment and Retention Sarah Diggs presented that ​“Increasing Educator Diversity Plan” plan to the Board of Education during its regular Monday meeting. The board voted 6 – 0 to approve the plan so the district can begin taking steps toward recruiting and retaining educators of color. 

Last July the Connecticut State Department of Education issued a mandate for each local and regional board of education to submit an increasing-educator diversity plan no later than March of this year. 

The most recent data from last school year showed the state’s average for students of color was 52.5 percent and for educators was 11.2 percent. For NHPS last year’s numbers showed the district was made up of 89.5 percent of students of color and 29.9 percent educators of color.

“While our teachers are more diverse than overall in Connecticut, the gap between students of color and teachers of color is nearly 60 percent,” Negrón noted.

In comparison to other school districts like Hartford, Bridgeport, and Waterbury, NHPS last year had a slightly lower percentage of students of color than the other districts but a similar percentage of educators of color. 

As part of the plan to increase the numbers, Digg said she will track real-time data to address barriers with recruitment, hiring, and retention. The district will step up recruitment within and beyond Connecticut while also developing career pathways for students and employees. It will implement anti-bias hiring practices with diverse interview panels and a simplified application process. Professional development opportunities will focus on ​“cultural competency” and ​“linguistic diversity.”

The district’s plan has three goals for recruitment, hiring/selection, and retention. By the end of the 2026 – 2027 school year, NHPS has set a goal to increase its number of educators of color by 15 percent — or from 29.9 percent to 34.4 percent.

The district is looking to design and implement a teacher residency program in partnership with Yale, Southern Connecticut State University, and New Haven Promise to place 84 teachers with master’s degrees in NHPS within five years.

NHPS is aiming to increase the percentage of applicants of color by 12 percent. It aims to increase its retention rates for educators and administrators of color by 15 percent. 

Digg said the district will train hiring managers in anti-bias selection processes, implement professional learning in cultural competency for administrators and educators, pilot a mentorship program that would pair educators of color with veteran educators, and provide continued education for 20 current teachers to get their master’s in teaching in shortage areas with partners at Yale and SCSU. 

“Who better to become our future educators than our own students who are in our classrooms right now?” Negrón said. 

Board Vice President Matt Wilcox asked if the district will receive increased funding to support the mandated plan and important goals.

Negrón said the district is actively applying for grants to support its plan, having completed a small grant application just last Friday. 

“This is a mandate that I agree with, but it is also nice if the mandates come with the funds to enact the mandates,” Wilcox said. 

The team spearheading the development and implementation of the plan includes Diggs, Barack Obama Magnet School Principal Jamie Baker, Supervisor of Multilingual Leaners Rosalyn Ortiz Diaz, Supervisor of Science Robert McCain, John C Daniels Principal Yesenia Perez, and Conte West Magnet School Principal Kenneasha Sloley. Negrón added that the district plans to add a teacher representative to the team.