California, districts try to recruit and retain Black teachers; advocates say more should be done
In the last five years, state lawmakers have made earning a credential easier and more affordable, and have offered incentives for school staff to become teachers.
LA Unified created its own in-house credentialing program, approved by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing that allows classified staff, such as substitute teachers, paraprofessionals, administrative assistants and bus drivers, to become credentialed teachers while earning a salary and benefits at their original jobs.
Grow-your-own programs such as this, and the state’s Classified School Employee Credentialing program, and a soon-to-be launched apprenticeship program, are meant to diversify the educator workforce because school staff recruited from the community more closely match the demographics of the student body than traditionally trained and recruited teachers, according to research.