InSPIRED Initiative

Our Vision: All children will have the opportunity to see their ethnic, linguistic, and racial backgrounds represented in teachers and leaders within their classrooms and schools. All educators, especially Black, Indigenous, and Educators of Color, will be recognized, supported within, and celebrated by their schools and districts for their value and positive impact on PK–12 students.

Why It Matters: Massachusetts students are increasingly diverse, but our educators are not. Research shows that a diverse teacher workforce matters. Teachers of color boost the academic performance of students of color, including improved reading and math test scores, improved graduation rates, and increases in aspirations to attend college The InSPIRED Initiative connects current educators with DESE to help cultivate, support and retain a culturally responsive and diverse educator workforce in MA schools. The Initiative promotes education as a meaningful, rewarding career pathway and elevates the voices and brilliance of educators of color. The Initiative consists of two communities the Statewide Affinity Network and the InSPIRED Fellowship.

Statewide Affinity Network

The Statewide Affinity Network aims to create a safe hybrid space for diverse educators of color and diverse educator allies to network, engage in dialogue about their authentic experiences, and explore professional development opportunities and/or actions that make for a more equitable experience in their schools. Please sign up here to attend one of the upcoming meetings. Please email CSI@mass.gov with the subject line "Statewide Affinity Network" with any questions you may have.

InSPIRED Fellowship Program

InSPIRED Fellows are In-Service Professionals who are committed to Increasing the Racial and Ethnic Diversity of our teacher workforce by leveraging their backgrounds and personal connections to communicate stories and calls to action to current and prospective educational leaders, helping them understand the impact of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and multiracial educators on PK–12 students. The fellowship is designed around four goals:

• Increase the racial diversity of the Massachusetts teaching workforce by providing licensure support and building interest in the profession.
• Increase the retention rates of Black, Indigenous, and educators of color (BIPOC educators) and current educators committed to a diverse workforce by creating a network of like-minded, anti-racist educators and by supporting districts as they strive to improve working conditions for BIPOC educators;
• Build connections between fellows to create a stronger sense of community and support via an affinity network; and
• Elevate the voices of fellows so that the work done in districts and DESE better centers the lived experiences of BIPOC educators.

Why Apply

All students benefit from engaging with diverse teachers and leaders throughout their schooling experience. Currently, 85.1 percent of the teaching workforce is white, while 47 percent of students across the Commonwealth are students of color. DESE is hoping to elevate the voices of current teachers who can leverage on-the-ground community connections to recruit and incentivize young people into teaching, particularly individuals from groups underrepresented in the profession more strategically. Watch this video that shares previous fellows' experiences around the impact they aspire to create within this fellowship.

Who Should Apply

All educators who deeply care about supporting state efforts to build a diverse, culturally responsive workforce should apply.

This highly selective opportunity is for current educators with close connections to their school communities and the ability to connect with students in diverse districts, to recruit the next generation of culturally responsive, diverse, and effective teachers. These connections in the community create a variety of reasons, including, for instance: growing up in the district, being a fluent speaker of the predominant in-home language of many of the students in that community, or being a first-generation college student. DESE hopes to select a diverse cohort of Fellows who can leverage their own stories about entering and staying in the profession to cultivate interest from students in these largely diverse districts.

2024-2025 Cohort

We are actively recruiting Fellows for the upcoming 2024-25 School Year. Please complete the InSPIRED Fellowship Application to join the Fellowship. If you have any questions, please reach out to CSI@mass.gov with the subject line "InSPIRED Fellowship".

InSPIRED Fellow Alumni

Click on the link below to learn about the 2024 InSPIRED Fellows cohort.

• 2024 InSPIRED Fellows

Last Updated: July 15, 2024