31 Various 2004 <p>A recent report by the National Collaborative on Diversity in the Teaching Force finds considerable evidence that increasing the percentage of minority teachers narrows the student achievement gap. However, as the report stresses, &quot;Although teacher quality has been accepted and internalized as a mantra for school reform, the imperative for diversity is often marginalized rather than accepted as central to the quality equation in teaching.&quot; In 2001-02, 60 percent of the nation's public school students were white, while 90 percent of their teachers were white. Some 40% of schools had no teachers of color on staff. &quot;Across the states,&quot; the report notes, &quot;the larger the percentage of students of color is, the greater the disparity with the percentage of teachers of color. Ironically, these are the areas with the greatest need for teachers of color.&quot; The report concludes with a series of action recommendations for policymakers that its authors believe can improve the recruitment and retention of minority and &quot;culturally competent&quot; teachers. (500k PDF file)</p><p>National collaborative on diversity in the teaching force. (2004). Assessment of diversity in America's teaching force: A call to action. Retrieved from the National Education Association 16 Apr 2008. Link: http://www.nea.org/teacherquality/images/diversityreport.pdf</p> http://www.nea.org/teacherquality/images/diversityreport.pdf