ABSTRACT
In 50 years, students of color will comprise the majority of K-12 students in American classrooms. Unfortunately, this nation’s teaching workforce is not nearly so diverse. At present, 9 of 10 classroom teachers are white, and minorities make up just 15% of those enrolled in teacher training programs. Native Americans are one of the youngest and fastest growing segments of our population, and yet, native people comprise just 0.4% of those currently teaching and 1% of those enrolled in teacher training programs (Alliance for Equity in Higher Education, 2000). As a result, native students, and other students of color, are denied having valuable role models as part of their educational experiences. White students, too, are being deprived of learning from teachers of color who embody the increasingly diverse world in which they are growing up.
