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DRIVE for Forsyth Task Force aims to diversify the local educator workforce

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools is looking to recruit and retain a diverse educator workforce. The local effort to address racial disparities builds upon work the state began doing about four years ago.

In December of 2019, Gov. Roy Cooper established the DRIVE Task Force, which stands for Developing a Representative and Inclusive Vision for Education. Members worked to develop plans and compile research around creating and sustaining a diverse educator workforce in the state. 

The group disbanded last year, but education leaders in Forsyth County are picking up where they left off.

At a Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school board meeting on Tuesday, Alexandra Hoskins, executive director of systems coherence and strategic planning, spoke about the newly created local task force: DRIVE for Forsyth. 

“There is great disparity among our teacher workforce," Hoskins said. "And so what the task force is tasked to do is to take a look at what strategies can we identify to impact that; to recruit, retain, support, educators of color, specifically Black and brown educators.” 

White, Black, and Hispanic students each make up about 30% of the district’s population. But the racial breakdown of teachers doesn’t match. 

About 71% of teachers are white. Less than a quarter are Black, and only 4% are Hispanic. 

Hoskins says research shows that students of color see increased achievement, and reduced disciplinary infractions when they have access to teachers who look like them. She also says all students benefit from having teachers with diverse backgrounds. 

“So while we want to move the needle and reduce our achievement gaps, we know that we also want to further the achievement of all students," Hoskins said. "And so adjusting, and recruiting and retaining teachers of color will have a lasting impact on all students across our board.”

The task force is made up of 39 members, including district parents and staff, as well as local community leaders.

Amy Diaz covers education for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.

Amy Diaz began covering education in North Carolina’s Piedmont region and High Country for WFDD in partnership with Report For America in 2022. Before entering the world of public radio, she worked as a local government reporter in Flint, Mich. where she was named the 2021 Rookie Writer of the Year by the Michigan Press Association. Diaz is originally from Florida, where she interned at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and freelanced for the Tampa Bay Times. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of South Florida, but truly got her start in the field in elementary school writing scripts for the morning news. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.

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