Overview
In 2016, the Connecticut State Board of Education adopted a Five-Year Comprehensive Plan which outlined three broad goals:
- High Expectations for Each and Every Student;
- Great Schools; and
- Great Teachers and Leaders.
The CSDE Talent Office is committed to advancing “Goal 3: Great Teachers and Leaders” by developing and deploying strategies for districts state-wide that ensure the most effective educators are in every school and classroom, including making progress on increasing the racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversity of the state’s educator workforce. The Talent Office team has developed a strategy profile with targets, measurable outcomes and established metrics specifically designed to increase the number of educators of color employed in Connecticut’s public schools from 8.3% to 10% - that’s 1,000 new certified educators of color - by 2021.
The Talent Office engages in weekly strategy meetings with an agenda focused on developing actionable strategies and achieving defined, measurable results. A recent data inquiry revealed that 739 educators of color, certified in CT in the past three years, were not employed in CT public schools as reported in the CSDE Educator Data System (EDS). The Talent Office developed and administered a survey to learn more about their experiences in seeking employment. Over 250 educators responded with 178 of them indicating an interest in receiving additional information. In partnership with the Department of Labor and the CSDE Turnaround Office, 15 Alliance Districts and more than 50 certified educators of color attended an in-person networking event on June 26, 2018. A follow-up survey will be sent to participating districts to determine the impact of this strategy on filling vacancies and increasing the diversity of their current talent pool.