The pool of future teachers in Florida is less diverse than the current workforce, according to a study by the National Council on Teacher Quality, a national nonprofit.
The report found almost two-thirds of the state's teacher preparation programs produce less diverse cohorts than the current teacher pool.
It found that 40 of the 61 teacher prep programs in the state are graduating fewer candidates from historically underrepresented backgrounds.
While the number of Black and brown Floridians with college degrees rose by 3.1% between 2018 and 2022, the share of Black and brown teachers in the state's workforce grew by 2%.
Across the country, teacher prep programs are graduating cohorts that are more diverse than the current teacher workforce, but these numbers are slowing.
Teacher diversity helps improve student outcomes, says Ron Noble, the council's chief of teacher preparation.
"Things such as increased achievement in both reading and math, increased attendance, stronger social emotional outcomes, and specifically for students of color, lower discipline rates and better rates of taking advanced coursework and graduating high school and attending college," he said.
Along with better student outcomes, Noble said there are benefits for the teachers as well.
"We also are starting to learn about [the] benefits to white teachers of having the same grade Black colleagues, and the way that those colleagues are helping them become more effective at teaching Black students," Noble said.
Noble says Florida can do a couple of things to make sure future teachers of all backgrounds go into the profession, including removing financial barriers to completing teacher prep programs.
Here's the full list of recommendations for Florida from his group:
- Recruitment into teacher prep. Identify people who are interested in teaching (e.g., high school students, paraprofessionals, career changers) and create multiple high-quality pathways for them to become teachers. Remove financial and other barriers to program enrollment.
- Support teacher candidates to earn licenses. Hold teacher prep programs accountable for supporting the people they enroll to complete program requirements for licensure. Design prep programs to be rigorous but flexible to accommodate the needs of a diverse range of people. Remove financial barriers to completing the program by paying candidates to complete clinical practice and offering licensure test subsidies.
- Improve hiring and early induction. Improve district human resources functions to reach the broadest pool of applicants for each position. Create the conditions for a strong school culture that values diversity. Provide all new teachers with a high-quality mentor.
Under Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida has addressed a teacher shortage by improving teacher pay and providing alternate pathways to the profession for veterans. The state also offers bonuses to teachers who complete civics training.
As of July 2025, the Florida Department of Education reported that teacher vacancies for the 2025-26 school year dropped by nearly 18%, part of a roughly 30% reduction over two years.
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