Increasing teacher diversity by tapping the paraprofessional pool

has become increasingly diverse racially and ethnically. This growing diversity is nowhere more apparent than in public elementary and secondary schools. In 1993, students of color made up over one-third of K-12 enrollments, up from less than one-quarter in 1976 (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 1982, 1996). While the number of teachers of color also increased during this time period, their proportional gains pale in comparison to the dramatic demographic shift in the student population. Specifically, the fraction of people of color in the teaching force rose from 10 percent in 1976 to 13 percent by 1993 (NCES, 1996). As these figures indicate, the racial/ethnic disparity between teachers and students already evident 20 years ago has grown with time. This gap, which has serious social and educational implications for the nation and its schools (Carnegie Forum on Education and the Economy, 1986; Hidalgo & Huling-Austin, 1993; Smith, 1989), is expected to grow even wider in the years ahead unless immediate steps are taken to actively recruit more people of color into teaching (DarlingHammond, 1990).