ALBANY, N.Y. Feb. 15, 2019 — New York State United Teachers will take part in a panel discussion about diversifying the teaching workforce as part of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus Weekend on Saturday, Feb. 16.
The panel — sponsored by Assemblymember Alicia Hyndman and titled “Seizing Opportunity to Diversify New York’s Teacher Workforce” — will focus on the programs and models designed to diversify this workforce and how New York can implement them statewide. The panelists are:
- Jessica Elliot, a high school social studies teacher and member of the Syracuse Teachers Association and NYSUT
- Sterling Roberson, vice president for Career & Technical Education high schools for the United Federation of Teachers and NYSUT member
- Albany City School District Superintendent Kaweeda Adams
- Richard Haynes, director of school support for the New York City Department of Education
The event will take place from 2 to 3:15 p.m. in Meeting Room 7 on the Empire State Plaza Concourse in Albany.
Hispanic/Latino and African American educators make up less than 16 percent of the teaching workforce statewide, while students from the same groups make up 43 percent of the student population. NYSUT has launched the Take a Look at Teaching Initiative to find ways to address this disparity and elevate the teaching profession as a whole.
New York State United Teachers is a statewide union with more than 600,000 members in education, human services and health care. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.