Villegas, A.M., & Clewell, B.C. (1998). Increasing teacher diversity by tapping the paraprofessional pool. Theory Into Practice, 37(2), 121-130.
The percentage of educators of color in elementary and secondary schools has not kept up with the racial and ethnic diversity of students who attend schools in the United States. Social and educational implications of the current racial and ethnic disparity between teachers and students are reviewed. The authors identify a need to recruit educators of color who can serve in professional and paraprofessional positions. After describing barriers to increasing the number of educators of color, strategies for expanding the pool of educators are described in terms of developing Career Ladder Programs. The success of Career Ladder Programs are based on (a) the establishment of meaningful partnerships with school districts, (b) using multiple sources of information when hiring and assigning educators, (c) providing academic and social support services, (d) modifying teacher education programs, and (e) providing tuition assistance to support paraprofessionals in their continuing development as professional educators.