Get The Facts
Legislative Briefing - Jan. 18, 2024
Senator Pavel Payano (D - Lawrence) and Representative Priscila Sousa (D - Framingham), lead co-sponsors of the bill An Act Enabling All Students to Thrive, joined an educator and parent advocate for a panel discussion and brief presentation of the research and data on the threat to teacher diversity unless LIFO is improved upon.
Students with teachers of the same race are:
Less Likely
To be Suspended
More likely
To be Referred to Gifted Programs
More likely
To complete H.S. and go to College
ALL students show improved academic performance and social-emotional well-being when teachers of color are at the front of the classroom.
The good news is investments in teacher diversity are making a difference
Teachers of color are disproportionately represented among new teachers, which means the workforce is diversifying. Massachusetts ranks second in the nation in terms of the ratio of teachers of color to white teachers.
Declining enrollment, increased teacher counts, and loss of federal dollars will lead to layoffs
Unfortunately, a perfect storm is creating an environment in which districts across Massachusetts must lay off teachers much earlier than anticipated, with nearly a dozen districts already announcing layoffs and others signaling layoffs on the horizon.
