Increasing Diversity in Teacher Candidates: An Oregon Model Using a Community College Pathway into Teacher Education

Abstract

ABSTRACT The need to diversify the teaching workforce is well documented. However, there are few resources outlining specific models to carry out this work, and even fewer examples that describe a community college academic pathway into teacher education. Because community colleges serve a high percentage of diverse students, a community college pathway into teaching represents a promising approach for increasing the diversity of the teaching workforce. This paper outlines an Oregon community college pathway into teacher education that is successfully adding diverse teachers to the Pacific Northwest region’s education workforce. This paper describes a model that other institutions may want to replicate, either wholly or in part. The paper describes a set of interrelated strategies designed to support all students, with specific approaches that encourage diverse student populations. Though this paper focuses on bilingual Hispanic students, the model could be tailored to unique community college demographics in other regions.