An array of multihued faces adorned a fifth-grade classroom at Pinecrest Elementary School like paint on an artist's pallet, as students flipped pages in their history book, "The First Americans."

Against the vivid backdrop, student teacher David Adams read aloud portions of the book, while his skin blended with the various student ethnicities in a way that is rare among teachers in classrooms.

Nationally, minority teachers represent 14 percent of the teaching population in America, while minority students compose 36 percent of classrooms according to the , according to the National Teacher Recruitment Clearinghouse's Web site, www.recruitingteachers.org.

Adams, an African-American student in his fifth year in MSU's education program, feels comfortable teaching at Pinecrest, 1811 Pinecrest Drive, in East Lansing despite the few minorities among the teaching staff.

"Because I'm a minority I think some students will be able to identify more with me here," he said. "When minority students see themselves mirrored in their teachers, they have a better understanding that they can achieve great things and make a difference in this world, which is what I want."

As the racial-ethnic makeup of America broadens, minority students like Adams are becoming scarce in education programs across the country.

Reasons for the diminishing number of minority teachers include increased career opportunities, challenging teaching environments and unsupportive faculty and staff, according to the National Education Association.

Finding minority teachers at MSU

The issue of the low percentage of minority teachers in classrooms begins with the reduced enrollment of minority students in college programs.

About 9 percent of students enrolled in MSU's College of Education are minorities, compared to the 14 percent of students enrolled in The Eli Broad College of Business and the 19 percent in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences.

These percentages illustrate the greater number of minorities flocking toward other areas of study.

Sonya Gunnings-Moton, assistant to the dean in the College of Education and is in-part responsible for the recruitment and retention of under-represented minorities in the college, said the lack of minority teachers nationwide is affecting the number of students who enroll in the college.

"Nationally, minority student enrollment in education programs is decreasing and the program at Michigan State has felt that decrease as well."

Moton said the College of Education understands the need to increase minority presence in its college. She said 42 percent of public schools in the United States have no minority teachers.

"We find those realities quite compelling," she said. "We see and understand the need to recruit a diverse population to promote diverse voices in education, role model presence, and the implicit and explicit messages that are sent to school children as they progress through the K-12 experience," she said.

There are many misunderstandings that students have about entering into education, which Moton says is deterring minorities from becoming teachers.

"There is a misconception that education is not lucrative," she said. "Many perceive education as a field with many challenges that are hard to overcome, and it's not that way."

The College of Education hopes to foster an interest in teaching among minority students in middle and high schools, and increase awareness of the many benefits of becoming an educator.

"We have strengthened our collaborative relationships with urban K-12 school districts," Moton said. "We are beginning as early as middle school grades to nurture and educate students on teaching. With these efforts we hope to encourage and mentor young students into the possibility of becoming a teacher earlier in their lives, and to take on the challenges and excitement of being an educator."

National shortage

The U.S. Department of Education predicts that if the number of minority teachers doesn't increase, during the early part of this century only 5 percent of teachers will be minorities, while the student minority population will be 40 percent.

Margaret Trimer-Hartley, director of communications for the Michigan Education Association, said having minorities represent such a small portion of the nation's teaching population is troubling.

She said minorities are essential to the development of children in America's public schools.

"Our schools should be a reflection of our society," she said. "Children need to see role models of all different races and religions. We should be able to see the American dream alive and working for everyone in our classrooms."

Trimer-Hartley said minority students are entering other professions that offer sizable signing bonuses and large salaries, preventing them from considering education.

"Minorities are now able to choose from a wide area of attractive professions, which is deterring them from considering teaching," she said. "The amount of minorities going into other professions has hurt schools in getting the high quality professionals in subjects where teachers are needed, like math, science and English."

Many school districts across the nation are beginning to implement new methods to attract more teachers, including minority teachers, to education.

In New Jersey, the Department of Education sponsors a Minority Teacher Education Program, which seeks 25 high school juniors who wish to be future teachers.

After participating in college preparation courses for two summers, the students receive loans and participate in work-study programs in college. The loans are absolved if the students spend four years teaching in an urban setting, or six years in a nonsuburban area.

The Minnesota Department of Education sponsors the Minnesota Teacher of Color Program, which pays college tuition for minority students, as well as other college expenses such as books and transportation. In exchange, students are obligated to teach for two years in Minnesota upon graduation.

Trimer-Hartley said Michigan has begun to implement methods to attract teachers as well.

"If you choose to teach in Michigan, the benefit package is very rewarding," she said. "The average teaching salary is about $50,000, which is fourth best in the nation."

The Michigan Teacher Corps, which is sponsored by the Michigan Department of Education, offers scholarships of up to $5,000 per student to minorities, with special emphasis on male teachers.

The scholarship assists in obtaining a degree in education and entering the teaching profession.

Teacher retention

After successfully recruiting minorities to teach, many school districts struggle with retaining the new teachers.

Reasons for minorities leaving the teaching profession including lack of support from colleagues and school districts, and teaching environments that are replete with poor working conditions, spreading school violence and lack of resources, the National Education Association said.

Education sophomore Kelley Hudson, an African-American student, said she has some reservations about teaching in suburban or nondiverse environments.

"I am a little nervous about teaching in a nondiverse environment because I think I might be left out," she said. "Sometimes I am fearful that I wouldn't be accepted in a suburban or predominately white school because I am a minority, and the teachers and students may not welcome my presence with warm arms."

Teaching in urban environments has proved to be another pressing issue in teacher retention.

Problems often associated with urban environments, such as limited resources, out-of-date texts and challenging work environments, might leave aspiring minority teachers frustrated.

Despite the rigors of the environment, education sophomore Stephanie Moy, who is an Asian American, said she is prepared to handle the difficulties that comes with teaching in an urban setting.

"I am not exactly sure of what to expect in any type of school setting, but I'm confident that I can succeed," she said. "I am already prepared to work with students of different cultures, because of my past experiences with people of various ethnicities."

Student perspective

The decreasing amount of minority teachers in America poses the question of whether a minority teacher will be favored for a position instead of a nonminority.

Some students think suburban schools might favor a minority teacher, while urban schools will focus less on race and more on the quality of the teachers.

"Urban school districts are more focused on the quality of the teacher than the race," Hudson said. "Suburban school districts, however, may focus on adding more minorities to their nondiverse environments."

The shortage of minority teachers in America has made student teacher David Adams aware of the importance of minority teachers.

"At my school, there were no minority teachers," Adams said. "The presence of minority teachers would have definitely added on a different perspective to our education, just as the addition of more male teachers would have."

He maintains that not having minorities as a strong presence among teaching staffs at school is something that is felt more than seen.

"You don't have to see the difference between having or not having a minority teacher in school, because you experience it in your day-to-day interactions."

Chrystal Griffin can be reached at griff242@msu.edu.