To Increase Teacher Diversity & Effectiveness
A Regional Approach for Diverse and Effective Teachers
In 2022, Elevate 215 was recruited by the Philadelphia Mayor’s Office of Education to lead the development of a comprehensive talent plan for Philadelphia. This resulted in the Citywide Strategy for Diverse and Effective Teachers, a comprehensive plan for recruiting, retaining, and developing more quality teachers, and in particular, more teachers of color. The Philadelphia Citywide Talent Coalition was established to drive implementation of this strategy, and Elevate 215 serves as the organizational backbone and convener of the Coalition.
Who is in the Coalition?
The Philadelphia Citywide Talent Coalition (the Coalition)—with over 35 organizations represented, ranging from school systems, civic, philanthropy, research, education, and nonprofit organizations—was formulated to improve both the diversity and effectiveness of the city’s public district and charter school teachers.
Teacher Retention Toolbox
In October 2024, the Philadelphia Citywide Talent Coalition released a comprehensive report offering four strategic solutions to tackle the critical issues of teacher retention and diversity in Philadelphia’s district and charter schools.
Read ReportHow was the Coalition Developed?
Utilizing Research-Based Methods and Strategies
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Identifying Current Workforce Trends
Amassing workforce data from Local Education Agencies (LEAs) from a mix of interviews, surveying, and scouring publicly available data to determine teacher shortage areas, hiring and retention "pain points," and projections regarding teacher staffing needs.
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Evaluating Current Pipeline Assets
Conducting a landscape assessment of efforts within the Philadelphia region to recruit and retain teachers of color by collecting information from the School District of Philadelphia, large charter networks, local teacher preparation programs, and community based organizations.
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Exploring What Works
Researching promising and proven practices, programs, and initiatives in Pennsylvania and around the country that have impacted the diversity and/or quality of teachers.
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Convening Local Leaders
Engaging Philadelphia school system leaders, teacher pipeline providers, researchers, and other critical constituents via an Advisory Group and other meetings with partners to solicit additional perspective, provide feedback and input, and collaboratively develop strategies to address our city’s most pressing needs.
The Citywide Strategy Encompasses All Levels of the Talent Pipeline
Research shows that teachers and school leaders are two of the most important factors in a child's educational outcomes. Research also shows that having a more racially and ethnically diverse teaching corps is critical to improving the educational outcomes for students, particularly students of color. Despite this, we see an acute underrepresentation of teachers of color in Philadelphia with 86% of students identifying as BIPOC, while only 35% of teachers identify as such. To address this, there must be program- and system- level solutions to recruit, retain, and develop effective educators, particularly educators of color.
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Build Local Collaborative to Foster Alignment and Drive Action
Launch a Citywide Talent Coalition, define quality and develop performance metrics, and improve quality of data collection and reporting to inform strategy
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Clarify Multiple Pathways to Teaching and Increase Career Support
Articulate clear pathways to teaching, launch the teaching hub on TeachPHL.org and career center, and provide mentorship
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Decrease Financial Burden To Enter Teaching
Pursue scholarships and loan forgiveness, and leverage workforce development funding
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Improve the Narrative
Launch citywide marketing campaigns, conduct a fair and equitable compensation study, and support schools to address working conditions
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Expand Early Pipeline
Expand teaching academies, increase early exposure opportunities, incentives, engagement, and marketing to youth
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Boost Teacher Support and Retention
Expand Affinity Groups, build school leader capacity to manage and retain talent, build financial incentive fund to assist with teacher retention, and operationalize culturally relevant practices in teacher preparation programs
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Advocate for Policy Changes and Support
Advocate for statewide and local policy changes in the areas of licensure, recruitment, and retention