The main ideas of the book:
- It is critically important, both for the sake of justice as well as for the benefit of all our students, that we retain a diverse educator workforce that reflects the rich backgrounds of the students we serve.
- School leaders need to be equipped with research-based practices they can put into action to create workplaces that affirm and support educators of color.
Why I chose this book:
In the past few decades, we’ve heard the cry to bring more diverse educators into our schools to better reflect the students we teach. But the stark truth is even as we make progress in hiring more educators of color, we are not successful in retaining them. Research shows that educators of color frequently feel unsupported and unwelcome in schools and often leave – sometimes departing the profession for good. While teacher turnover in general is an issue, it’s even more of an issue when it comes to retaining educators of color. We need guidance on how to do better. I chose this book because of its concrete and thoughtful ideas for what we can do differently to retain and support educators of color.
The author, Andrea Terrero Gabbadon, is a woman of color in addition to being a leadership coach and former education professor and researcher. The guidance she provides comes directly from educators of color, whose voices are featured prominently in every chapter of her book (and throughout my summary, too). The recommendations she makes are steeped in research and expressed by the voices of teachers of color whose words exemplify what the research shows. As you read, keep in mind that the stories and quotations shared are not outliers but represent common experiences and viewpoints. So, listen. Listening is essential for learning how we can better support and retain educators of color.
