At this year鈥檚 Academy Awards ceremony, the lack of diversity in Hollywood took center stage. And that lack of diversity is striking: For the second year in a row, all 20 Oscar nominees for acting were white. There was a public outcry, but it鈥檚 not the first time in recent history Hollywood stars and movie fans have expressed outrage about the inherent white bias for Oscar nominees. The backlash included the resurgence of the , as well as a new plan by the Academy to diversify its membership. Chris Rock hosted the awards and : a request, in front of millions of people, for black actors to receive the same opportunities as their white peers.
But as troubling as Hollywood鈥檚 problem is, there is another, much more consequential profession with an even more striking lack of diversity: that of education leaders鈥攊n particular, state education commissioners and school district superintendents.
In districts across the nation, half of all students are students of color. But only around of school superintendents are nonwhite, and roughly are women. These figures play out at the state level as well, where 88 percent of state education commissioners and state superintendents of education are white and 58 percent are male, according to a survey conducted by Chiefs for Change, the nonprofit organization that I direct.
America鈥檚 schools are increasingly, staggeringly segregated. The lack of high-ranking leaders of color is troubling. But there are exceptions. When I say the words 鈥渕ath teacher鈥� to my daughter, the image that pops into her head is of a black man in his 20s. He is funny and nice, she will tell you. He is a good teacher who knows a lot about algebra. She is 12 years old and white and still learning about the world. This little experiment works the other way, too. When I say 鈥渂lack man,鈥� she thinks 鈥渕ath teacher.鈥� He does not feel to her like an exception. Neither do many of her classmates, who are black and brown and also good at math. But her school is hardly the norm when it comes to a healthy view of classroom diversity.
Why is this so troubling? Because beyond the discrepancies in funding that schools face, we all need role models who share some of our experiences and serve as a beacon to show us how far we can go in the world, especially as students. Studies show that students taught by teachers who share their race or ethnicity .
Just as important, the aspirations of children and, by extension, the aspirations of their communities, rely on convincing students that all of their goals are possible. The impact of school leaders who reflect their own students cannot be overestimated.
Diversifying education leadership鈥攁nd retaining those leaders鈥攚ill not happen on the wings of our good intentions.
There is also a troubling Catch-22. One of the problems contributing to the lack of diversity among school leaders and teachers is the very one that an increase of diversity would help solve. Students of color graduate from high school at a much lower rate than their white classmates, shrinking the pool of potential teachers, school leaders, and system leaders of color.
But that Catch-22 isn鈥檛 cause for surrender. It just means states and districts have to work harder to nurture and encourage students of color to pursue a career in education. We have to become more creative with our efforts to hire and retain diverse leaders. Current leaders must identify and mentor potential superintendents and commissioners. States and the federal government should replicate and pay for programs that develop local school leaders, particularly programs that help create career paths for educators of color and provide financial support for potential leaders seeking advanced degrees. And districts should provide continued support once those leaders are actually hired.
What image pops into a school board member鈥檚 head when he or she hears the term 鈥渟uperintendent of schools,鈥� or a governor鈥檚 head when he or she hears the term 鈥渃ommissioner of education鈥�? Unlike my daughter鈥檚 reaction to 鈥渕ath teacher,鈥� for most, I鈥檓 afraid, the range of possibilities is as narrow as it is for the average member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences who imagines 鈥淥scar winner.鈥� Institutions and their leaders will reinforce the status quo until someone disrupts it.
When I ask current state and district education chiefs how they became leaders, I hear one common thread. All of them, somewhere along the way, had a person of influence and authority say to them, 鈥淵ou should be a district superintendent,鈥� or 鈥淵ou should be a state chief.鈥� And then, just as important, 鈥淟et鈥檚 create a leadership plan for you.鈥� That same kind of mentorship must be available to educators of color.
Diversifying education leadership鈥攁nd retaining those leaders鈥攚ill not happen on the wings of our good intentions. We need to take a closer look at districts where people of color hold and keep leadership positions. And then we have to make a plan to model those districts. It will take a diverse body of educators, both those who lead America鈥檚 public schools today and those who want to lead them tomorrow. Hollywood is waking up to its diversity crisis. It鈥檚 time to disrupt the status quo in education as well.
