The Best for Kids Requires Staff Diversity

My View

The diversity of a school’s staff directly impacts our children’s education by providing perspectives that add depth and understanding.

Identifying educators of diverse backgrounds for leadership roles benefits students of all races and creates an understanding of the needs and aspirations of all groups. Diversity prepares all children for the world they will live in after they leave school.

Why haven’t all school districts recognized the value of staff diversity and committed to ensuring their hiring practices reflect that value? Claiming that diverse candidates are hired but “don’t work out” is not an acceptable excuse.

Those of us who have benefited from the existing system must understand and be empathetic to the predicament of those who have not, but that is not sufficient. Feeling guilty about a broken system helps no one. Apologizing for a system we have inherited is self-serving. Placing blame diverts attention from a larger culture of institutional racism.