School Board Newsletter: Our Diversity Hiring Goals and Progress

The demographic composition of a district's teaching and administrative workforce matters for student outcomes. Research consistently shows that students of color benefit from having teachers who share their background, and that all students benefit from learning in a community with a diverse adult workforce. Communicating diversity hiring goals and progress publicly connects staffing decisions to the board's educational commitments.

Describe the current workforce composition

Open with the current demographic data: the racial and ethnic composition of the district's teachers, administrators, and support staff. Compare this to the demographic composition of the student population. The comparison shows the gap between who is teaching and who is learning, which is the context for diversity hiring goals.

State the board's specific diversity hiring goals

Describe the specific goals the board has set for diversifying the workforce. Goals should be specific and tied to timelines: "increase the percentage of teachers of color from 18% to 30% by 2029" is a real goal. "Diversify the teaching staff" is not. Connect the goals to the student demographic data that motivates them.

Describe the most recent hiring cycle results

Report on the demographics of the teachers and administrators hired in the most recent school year. How does the most recent hiring cohort compare to prior years? Is the district making progress toward its goals, staying flat, or moving in the wrong direction?

Describe the recruitment strategies the district is using

Name the specific programs and partnerships the district is using to expand its reach into diverse candidate pools. Partnerships with teacher preparation programs, grow-your-own pipeline programs, participation in targeted career fairs, and compensation and support improvements all contribute to workforce diversification. Naming the strategies shows that the goal is backed by action.

Address retention alongside recruitment

Recruiting diverse educators is only part of the challenge. Retaining them requires that the workplace be welcoming and that compensation and advancement opportunities are equitable. Describe what the district is doing to support and retain diverse staff once they are hired.

Connect the work to student outcomes

Describe the research evidence that connects diverse educator workforces to positive student outcomes. This grounds the hiring goals in educational purpose rather than in political framing, which makes the initiative more broadly accessible to families across different perspectives.

Commit to annual progress reporting

Tell families when the next workforce diversity update will be published. Daystage gives district teams a professional newsletter platform for delivering diversity hiring updates that build community understanding of and support for the board's workforce investment.