Increasing the racial and cultural diversity of the educator workforce takes a statewide commitment to analyze current educator workforce data and demographics compared to the populations of students being served. State leaders can play a critical role in advancing policies to ensure there is greater alignment between the educators and the learners they teach. Recruitment and retention of a high-quality and diverse educator pool provides many benefits that contribute to learner academic and career success.

Attendees joined this session to learn about the importance of educator diversity and the direct benefits to learners and gain knowledge to help build recruitment strategies and talent pipeline programs that specifically seek to attract diverse CTE instructors, administrators and leaders who are demographically representative of the learners they teach. PDK International shared strategies to address educator diversity to support your efforts. State leaders shared innovative approaches they have taken to expand the educator pipeline within their state. This session provided the audience the ability to ask questions and engage with the panel of presenters.

This webinar is part of an ongoing series that focuses on practical examples of the vision principles and action steps in order to support CTE leaders in implementing the CTE Without Limits vision. Principle 2, each learner feels welcome in, is supported by, and has the means to succeed in the career preparation ecosystem, instructs us to recruit, retain and support a diverse and culturally competent workforce.

Speakers:
– Dr. Brittney Williams, State Director for CTE, Louisiana Community & Technical College System
– Dr. Joshua P. Starr, Chief Executive Officer, PDK International
– Nithya Govindasamy, Senior Advisor, Advance CTE