Section 23-1-121.8 - Department directive - workgroup on diversity in the educator workforce - duties - recommendations - report - legislative declaration - definitions - repeal(1)(a) The general assembly finds and declares that:(I) A high-quality teacher is the most important in-school factor for student achievement;(II) Further, students benefit from seeing a diverse group of educators in school classrooms;(III) In Colorado in 2019, seventy-six percent of all teachers were women and sixty-seven percent of all teachers in Colorado identified as White women;(IV) However, the student demographics in Colorado are significantly more diverse and will continue to become more diverse. For example, in 2019, nearly forty-seven percent of all public school students identified as non-White and fourteen percent of students considered themselves to be English language learners.(b)(I) The general assembly further finds and declares that there are many barriers to preparing, recruiting, and retaining a high-quality, diverse educator workforce.(II) One barrier is how teachers are licensed. A study by the national council on teacher quality reported that only forty-six percent of elementary school teaching candidates pass their licensing test on the first try. Moreover, only thirty-eight percent of Black teaching candidates, fifty-four percent of Hispanic teaching candidates, and seventy-five percent of White teaching candidates pass the licensing test, even after multiple attempts and even though they completed and graduated from an accredited teacher preparation program.(c) Therefore, the general assembly declares that an important step to increasing diversity among Colorado's educators is to task the Colorado department of higher education and the Colorado department of education to investigate barriers to and effective strategies for preparing, recruiting, and retaining a diverse educator workforce that better reflects the diversity of Colorado's students.(2) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:(a) "Department of education" means the department of education created in section 24-1-115.(b) "Diverse educator workforce" means teachers and special services providers who have a disability or who are of a gender, ethnicity, or race that is underrepresented in the educator workforce relative to the disability, gender, ethnicity, or race of Colorado students served by the educator workforce.(3) The department of higher education, in conjunction with the department of education, shall convene a workgroup to investigate barriers to the preparation, recruitment, and retention of a diverse educator workforce and to recommend effective strategies for preparing, recruiting, and retaining a diverse educator workforce.(4) The department of higher education and the department of education shall select workgroup members and may seek recommendations or nominations from interested stakeholders. The workgroup members must be representative of the racial and ethnic diversity of the Colorado student population, as determined by the department of education, by ensuring that at least fifty percent of the workgroup is comprised of persons from historically underrepresented minority groups. The workgroup may consist of members from other workgroups within the department of higher education or department of education. At a minimum, the selected workgroup members must include but are not limited to one or more of the following persons or organizations, or their representatives:(a) A representative of the department of higher education;(b) A representative of the department of education;(c) Deans of teacher preparation programs at state institutions of higher education;(d) Directors of alternative teacher programs;(e) Representatives from community colleges governed by the state board for community colleges and occupational education;(f) Teachers serving in traditional district schools who hold an initial or professional teacher's license pursuant to article 60.5 of title 22;(g) Teachers serving in district charter schools;(h) Principals or school leaders of traditional district schools or district charter schools, including schools that have a diverse educator workforce;(i) Graduates of teacher preparation programs, who may include graduates who did not pass the licensing test on the first try;(j) Researchers with expertise in the preparation, recruitment, or retention of a diverse educator workforce; and(k) Nonprofit or other organizations that have expertise in the preparation, recruitment, or retention of a diverse educator workforce.(5) The workgroup shall investigate barriers to the preparation, retention, and recruitment of a diverse educator workforce and shall consider strategies to increase diversity in the educator workforce. The issues considered by the workgroup may include but are not limited to: (a) The data and recommendations from the December 16, 2014, report prepared for the department of education by Augenblick, Palaich and Associates titled "Keeping Up with the Kids: Increasing Minority Teacher Representation in Colorado";(b) Effective strategies to build a strong local pipeline for students, especially diverse students, who are or may consider becoming educators, including paid mentorships and teaching and volunteer opportunities;(c) Educator preparation programs and how they may inhibit or promote success for diverse educator candidates;(d) Effective strategies to assist paraprofessionals, substitute teachers, and noncertified educators who are engaged in the profession but who are not licensed due to financial difficulties, difficulty in passing the state-certified content test, distance to testing location, preparation and testing fees, or for other reasons;(e) Whether creating partnerships between school districts that serve minority students and minority-serving institutions will increase the diversity of the educator workforce; and(f) Effective strategies to retain the existing diverse educator workforce in Colorado, including diverse educators in hard-to-staff schools, which strategies may include financial incentives, such as stipends or bonuses, and robust professional development opportunities.(6)(a) On or before September 30, 2022, the department of higher education and the department of education shall submit a written report from the workgroup to the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate, or any successor committees, concerning: (I) The workgroup's findings, including identification of existing barriers to the preparation, recruitment, and retention of a diverse educator workforce;(II) The relevance of the findings and recommendations set forth in the December 16, 2014, report referenced in subsection (5)(a) of this section;(III) Effective strategies for preparing, recruiting, and retaining a diverse educator workforce in Colorado; and(IV) The workgroup's recommendations, including any necessary changes to statutes or agency rules.(b) The workgroup may submit interim findings and recommendations for consideration during the 2022 regular legislative session prior to the completion of the final written report pursuant to subsection (6)(a) of this section.(7) This section is repealed, effective July 1, 2024.Added by 2021 Ch. 375,§1, eff. 9/7/2021.L. 2021: Entire section added, (HB 21-1010), ch. 2477, p. 2477, § 1, effective September 7. 2021 Ch. 375, was passed without a safety clause. See Colo. Const. art. V, § 1(3).