STATS Aims to Increase the Diversity of Ohio's Teaching Workforce

By the year 2000, minorities will be the majority in American classrooms. Minorities, though, are not becoming teachers. Ohio's teacher education programs are 80-90% non-minority.

"Having more minority teachers in the classroom room is important because teachers have a powerful impact on their students' attitudes toward education and future careers," said Fortson, an assistant professor in the College of Education and Human Services (CEHS).

"When minorities see people 'like' them teaching, they will be inspired to do the same," said Rutledge-Evans, CEHS teacher certification advisor. "Classroom teachers should accurately reflect all ethnic groups."

The Ohio Department of Education agrees. It awarded a $47,481 grant to Fortson and Rutledge-Evans to launch STATS (Students Taking Action To Succeed).

An extension of Fortson's Developing Future Teachers (DFT) program, STATS encourages high school juniors and seniors to become teachers. (DFT targets middle school minority students.) STATS has four components:

• Motivational speeches to high school students.
• Saturday enrichment classes focusing on reading comprehension, writing and math skills.

• Hands-on experience with children and youth at summer camp or in Wright State's Pre-college Program.
• Continued "care" for students choosing teaching as a career.

Fortson said continued care includes mentoring, study sessions and participating in teacher education activities. "We believe these services positively affect the retention of first-and-second year students in our program," he said.

Fortson and Rutledge-Evans will work with guidance counselors in the Dayton City schools and the Jefferson Township school system to identify candidates for the program. Students will be selected based on an essay about why they want to be teachers.

"The state and the federal government is willing to put money into STATS because of the mismatch between the diversity of the children in the classroom and the lack of diversity in the teaching force," said CEHS dean Gregory Bernhardt. "Our long-term goal is to get the districts to see the value of programs like STATS."

Rutledge-Evans said STATS is a collaborative effort supported by the Ohio Department of Education, Dean Bernhardt, Dayton City Schools superintendent James Williams, Jefferson Township superintendent Herbert Franklin, and the guidance counselors and teachers in both school systems.

In the last three years, Fortson and Rutledge-Evans have received grants of more than $266,000 to increase the diversity of Ohio's teaching workforce.