In recent years, there has been a widespread commitment in Connecticut to diversify the educator workforce by increasing the number of educators of color. The state has invested resources and set clear expectations, but the challenge is now how to best position districts and schools to achieve these results at scale.

The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) and the Region 2 Comprehensive Center (R2CC) worked closely together to improve capacity in personnel, resources, organization, and policy in the state and its districts. This involved intensive R2CC coaching of district teams, based on learnings from a pilot program detailed in Preparing Connecticut’s State and District Leaders to Recruit and Sustain Educators of Color.

This impact story explores why this work matters and how the CSDE’s partnership with R2CC contributed to a substantial increase in the number of educators of color in Connecticut.