Community collaborations are crucial to this effort, from the
education sector to partners such as KConnect, an organization that advocates for
equity in education, they said.
Mah noted that in Kent County alone, school districts would need to
hire 2,100 educators of color to have a proportionate number of
educators who look like the current student population. Nationally,
she said, the number of students who identify as BIPOC is more than 54
percent, while less than 20 percent of educators identify as BIPOC.
"It's so important that we address this because there are major
social implications that affect a community when children are not
seeing mentors and leaders who look like them," Mah said.
The GVSU contingent in the fall joined participants from around the
globe for Steelcase's Equity in Education Challenge, with 10
organizations ultimately chosen to advance their concept, Steelcase
officials said. The event this year addressed barriers to education by
asking: “How might we reimagine student support systems during the
pivotal transition to higher education or a career path?”
“We are thrilled to support this exciting group of educators and
changemakers who bring a blend of powerful ideas and problem-solving
talent to some of the most important equity issues in education of our
time," said Adam Weiler, Social Innovation manager at Steelcase.
Bailey-Fakhoury said research shows that diversity among educators
benefits all students in aptitude, college aspirations and other
positive outcomes because of the richness from interacting with people
from multiple backgrounds.
The impact specifically on students of color is also profound, she
said, citing a study that showed boys of color who had just one
teacher of color in their K-12 experience showed an increased interest
in post-secondary education.
In addition, teachers of color better understand the culture and
lived experiences of their student counterparts, which can spur
positive feedback as well as stem instances of classroom behavior
being referred for discipline, Bailey-Fakhoury said.
Being understood is also important for the professionals, many of
whom are teaching in settings that have not customarily included a
diverse group of educators, Bailey-Fakhoury said. Mentoring and
networking are important tools for helping with retention of BIPOC educators.
"You hope you are creating a network where you are able to
associate with other folks who are like you, who are similarly
situated, and who may have similar experiences," she said.
"You're not having to explain and validate, you share it and
people get it."
Mah said those working on the fellowship are focused on finding ways
to create a successful model that can replicate.
"Our goal is to create systems and put things in place that not
only help the K-12 districts we work with, but also potentially help
other universities understand what they need to put in place to help
them move these things forward," Mah said.
