Oregon Educator Equity Advisory Group

Research shows when students of color have educators who mirror their demographics, every student benefits.

Just 12% of Oregon’s teachers are racially, ethnically and/or linguistically diverse, and small gains over the last decade are not enough to provide equitable access for every student.

Since 2015, the Educator Equity Advisory Group (OEEAG) has convened to advise the state on issues relating to the diversification of the educator workforce, and to guide production of the annual Educator Equity Reports, which have become the primary source for data and reporting on educator workforce diversification efforts in Oregon.

Important Update: In 2021, the Oregon Legislature amended the Educator Equity Act via SB 232 to require the Educator Equity Report be prepared every two years, due September 1 each even numbered year. The next Educator Equity Report will be published on September 1, 2022. The 2020 Educator Equity Report is available here.

About

The Oregon Educator Equity Advisory Group (OEEAG) has convened since 2015 to:

  • Research, coordinate and oversee legislative reports deriving from SB 755 that outline Oregon’s current status and progress toward diversifying the educator workforce and to spotlight/recommend/drive needed practices and policies;

  • Ensure that the voices of culturally and linguistically citizens in Oregon are engaged in examining root causes, current assets, and needed changes in policy and practices that can help diversify Oregon’s educator workforce;

  • Review progress and results from funded state investments intended to recruit, prepare, retain, and advance Oregon’s educator workforce; and

  • Recommend future investments for the state that can improve students’ access to educators who more closely mirror our K-12 student population demographics

For updates and OEEAG meeting information, please contact Emily McCaffrey at emily.mccaffrey@ode.oregon.gov.

The 2015 Educator Equity Act set a goal for Oregon that the diversity of the educator workforce reflect the diversity of the state's students.

In the 2019-2020 school year, ethnically and/or linguistically diverse teachers made up 12% of the teaching workforce, while ethnically and/or linguistically diverse students were 38% of the students in Oregon's public schools.

student-teacher demographic comparison

Source: Oregon Department of Education, 2020

2018 Educator Equity Report Cover

History of the Advisory Group

The Oregon Legislature first established a state goal for educator diversity in 1991 through the Minority Teacher Act (SB 122), that the number of minority teachers employed in public schools would be proportional to the number of minority students by 2001. In 2013, the Oregon Legislature amended the Minority Teacher Act through the passage of SB 755, replacing the state’s goal relating to educator diversity. The new goal was that between July 1, 2012 and July 1, 2015, the state would increase by 10 percent: (1) The number of minority teachers and administrators employed by school districts and education service districts; and (2) The number of minority students enrolled in public teacher education programs.

 In 2014, the Oregon Education Investment Board (OEIB) first convened what was then named the “Oregon Minority Educator Advisory Group,” which met as a “statewide advisory group representative of the changing demographics in Oregon… ready to provide a means of assessing, evaluating and advocating for continuous accountability and improvement on conditions and policies that impact educator equity.”  The group produced a report that provided a status update on the state’s progress towards the goals named in SB 755.

In 2015, HB 3375 renamed the Act to the Educators Equity Act, and replaced the goal to reflect the original goal, namely that the percentage of diverse educators employed by a school district or an education service district reflects the percentage of diverse students in the public schools of the state or the percentage of diverse students in the district. The new Act also required that a coalition of state agencies (Oregon Department of Education, Teacher Standards and Practices Commission, and Higher Education Coordinating Commission) report annually to the Legislature on progress made towards the state’s goal and recommendations for recruiting, hiring and retaining diverse educators.

Since 2015, the OEEAG has convened regularly under the direction of the Chief Education Office (CEdO), and now the EAC, to guide production of the Educator Equity Report as well assess, evaluate, and advocate for statewide educational policy and practice that prepares, recruits, and retains culturally and linguistically diverse educators in Oregon. Since 2015, the annual Educator Equity Reports have become the primary source for data and reporting on educator workforce diversification efforts in Oregon. 

In 2019, after the closure of CEdO, administration of the Advisory Group and production of the Educator Equity Report shifted to the newly created Educator Advancement Council (EAC), who continue to coordinate OEEAG meetings and produce the report under the guidance of the Advisory Group and in collaboration with TSPC, the HECC, ODE, and the state’s public educator preparation programs. 

In the 2019-2021 biennium, the Student Success Act (HB 3427) allocated $15 million to support early learning and K-12 educator professional learning and educator preparation program support. This funding helps develop and expand programs to better serve and support students of color, students with disabilities, emerging bilingual students, and students navigating poverty, houselessness, and foster care. The EAC is funding multiple initiatives with these resources, including Grow Your Own, Oregon Teacher Scholars Program, and Oregon Administrator Scholars Program. More information on other initiatives funded by the Student Success Act will be available soon.

Legislative History of Ed Equity Report

Legislative History of Oregon's Educator Equity Act