The Nashville City Paper reports that 8.4% of Metro Nashville students are Hispanic, and that a disproportionate 60% of the teachers are white:

"In Metro Nashville as of 2004, roughly 59 percent of students were minorities, with African-American (47.5 percent) and Hispanic (8.4 percent) being the most predominant."

"Yet, nearly 60 percent of Metro teachers are white."

"The shortage is partly a result of increasing opportunities for minority Americans to pursue other careers, according to Metro Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Dr. June Keel."

"'The most important thing in the education world is we find qualified teachers, regardless of race or gender,' Keel said. 'If we have an opening we will hire the best-qualified teacher that comes through our door.'"

Labels: statistics