Educator Apprenticeship DEIA Rubric

Challenge

The United States has been facing a teacher shortage crisis for the past two decades, which was exacerbated by the pandemic and continues to worsen. One significant cause of the shortage is the lack of diversity in the K-12 teaching workforce, making teacher shortages worse and contributing to lower student outcomes, especially for students of color.  

Approach

In response to the teacher shortage crisis, Educator Apprenticeship (EA) programs are growing across the country, EA’s broaden access to education careers creating the potential to significantly diversify the profession, which research shows will improve outcomes for all students. JFF’s EA DEIA Rubric is designed to help ensure that EAs live up to this potential by using the rubric at the program design and implementation level (state, regional, district) to create an intentional focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA).  

Results

Benefits of Anchoring EA in DEIA  

For Educator Apprentices  

• Provides a more affordable option, bringing in a broader array of candidates 

• Provides stronger training and support, raising completion rates  

• Increases workplace diversity and inclusivity, leading to higher job satisfaction  

For Students  

• Academic and nonacademic improvements for students of color  

• Exposes all students to a diverse group of positive role models  

• Prepares all students to live and work in a democratic, inclusive, and global society  

For Districts  

• Saves districts money by lowering teacher turnover  

• Improves student outcomes through higher teacher efficacy and retention  

• Encourages local recruitment, increasing alignment with student demographics  

• Supports cultural competency, the capacity of educators to serve students from various cultural and ethnic backgrounds