A Call to Action: Diversifying the Teacher Education Workforce, a Look at One State's Efforts

Over the last few years, much attention has been focused on the nationwide teacher shortage. As teachers begin to retire in record numbers, and the number of students entering teacher education majors continues to decline, concern around the teacher shortage heightens (US Dept. of Ed., 2016). The numbers are even more dire when looking at Teachers of Color entering the profession (US Dept. of Ed., 2016). To address this TOC shortage, Pennsylvania's Department of Education called for Institutions of Higher Education to create programs aimed at attracting and retaining students of color in their teacher education programs. The Aspiring to Educate (A2E) program was Pennsylvania's intentional attempt to diversify the teacher workforce. This paper describes the work of three Black educators, as they examine their positionality and work independently and collectively to answer PA's call to action through the implementation of start-up Grow Your Own programs.