Full Text of SR0117

SR0117 LRB104 07362 ECR 17402 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Illinois constitution states "a fundamental goal of the People of the State is the educational development of all persons to the limits of their capacities"; and

WHEREAS, The education system in this State produces inequitable outcomes along lines of race and ethnicity with 9% of Black students, 15% of Latinx students, 23% of American Indian or Alaska Native students, 35% of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students, and 31% of multiracial students reaching proficiency in math compared to 38% of white students and 61% of Asian students; and

WHEREAS, More than 20 years of research indicates that teacher diversity has positive impacts on student outcomes, including academic achievement, graduation rates, attendance, instances of exclusionary discipline, and college aspirations; and

WHEREAS, Research demonstrates the positive impact of alignment between teacher and student racial and ethnic diversity; and

WHEREAS, In Illinois, teachers of color make up less than 18% of the workforce while students of color make up 54% of the student body; and

WHEREAS, Representation of Black, Latinx, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and multiracial teachers does not match the respective proportion of Illinois students who are Black, Latinx, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and multiracial; and

WHEREAS, Longstanding systemic racism and ongoing barriers lead to reductions in diversity throughout the teacher pipeline starting with unequal high school graduation rates and rates of enrollment in postsecondary institutions, including racial disparities in educator preparation enrollment and retention in the teaching profession; and

WHEREAS, One of the most significant challenges in the teacher pipeline is the gap in diversity between Illinois colleges and Illinois educator preparation programs; and

WHEREAS, More debt can discourage those in pursuit of a career in the teaching profession; and

WHEREAS, Teachers of color are more likely to borrow money to pay for teacher preparation; and

WHEREAS, The Minority Teachers of Illinois Scholarship was created to encourage academically talented Illinois minority students to enroll in educator preparation and pursue teaching careers so that students of color in Illinois are more likely to be taught by teachers of color; and

WHEREAS, Recipients of the Minority Teachers of Illinois Scholarship are required to teach in schools at which no less than 30% of the enrolled students are minority students in the year during which the recipient begins teaching at the school or, if the recipient received a scholarship as a qualified bilingual minority applicant, in a program in transitional bilingual education pursuant to Article 14C of the School Code or in a school in which 20 or more English learner students in the same language classification are enrolled; and

WHEREAS, More than 8,000 awards have been distributed to aspiring teachers of color through the Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship; and

WHEREAS, The pool of candidates enrolling in educator preparation programs has indeed grown more diverse over time but is still not as diverse as Illinois colleges; and

WHEREAS, The teacher workforce has gradually grown more diverse over the last decade but still lags student diversity significantly; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we affirm the importance and targeted value of the Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship in increasing diversity in the teacher workforce; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we celebrate the support that the Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship has offered to aspiring teachers to date and the scholarship's role in growing the diversity of teacher preparation in Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to continue to administer the Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship in order to support aspiring teachers of color to enter the teaching profession; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the State of Illinois and its entities to continue to support efforts grounded in research and data that increase the diversity of the educator workforce in order to improve outcomes for all students in this State.