Our Stories, Our Struggles, Our Strengths: Perspectives and Reflections from Latino Teachers

N

16

Hispanic Americans; Minority Group Teachers; Hispanic American Students; Cultural Influences; Diversity (Faculty); African American Teachers; Racial Factors; Ethnicity; Elementary Secondary Education; Teacher Role; Advocacy; Translation; Bilingualism; Elementary School Teachers

North Carolina; New Jersey; Florida; Texas; California

If there ever was a time for educators to understand the experiences of Latino students, that time is now. Increases in anti-immigration expressions and sentiments and the very real rollback of federal protections have created an unsafe and unsettling environment in this nation and in its schools. One of the greatest resources to help educators and school leaders help students navigate these times are Latino teachers. Fortunately, more are recognizing that "all" students can benefit from a diverse educator workforce and more initiatives are being implemented to recruit teachers of color to the profession. Education Trust's research team hosted a series of focus groups with Black and Latino teachers around the country to better understand their unique experiences: why they teach, what they believe they bring to the classroom and the field, and what challenges they face in the workplace because of their race/ethnicity. They used data from the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS, 2012) to target states and districts with high numbers of teachers of color and solicited participants through schools, districts, and teacher organizations. In a previous brief (see ED570431), they shared what they learned from Black teachers. In this brief, they present findings from their discussions with Latino teachers.

ERIC

2018

ED588864