Despite being one of the most diverse states in the nation, California is struggling to diversify the workforce educating its youth population, according to findings in two new studies by the UCLA Civil Rights Project (CRP).

Researchers detailed systemic barriers that impede diversity of the teacher workforce in California and how this lack of representation impacts outcomes for marginalized students. The data was collected over a seven-year period from schools, teachers and those in the process of obtaining certification.

“Equity work in our schools requires that we actively interrogate and dismantle policies and practices that act as barriers for people of color entering and sustaining in the profession,” said Kai Mathews, the lead author of one of the studies, in a statement. “Essentially, our desire for equity must be driven by a greater — or at least equal — desire for justice. There is no uncoupling of the two.”

There are more than 300,000 public K-12 teachers across the state. About 58 percent identified as white, 24 percent were Latine and 8 percent were Asian American and Pacific Islander. Black educators comprised about 3 percent of the population, with Indigenous and multiracial teachers each representing about 1 percent.

Students of color, meanwhile, comprise nearly 80 percent of California’s K-12 population, and white people make up about 35 percent of the overall state population.

The findings collected from California schools and teacher experiences mirror the broader issues impacting educators nationwide, researchers found.

Although people of color make up 40 percent of the U.S. population and about 55 percent of the country’s K-12 students, only about 20 percent of all teachers nationwide are Indigenous or of color. UCLA researchers found that schools with higher populations of students of color had higher concentrations of inexperienced teachers, according to a study published by CRP.

Education that promotes social justice and equity is a must in a diverse society, the study noted, and teachers of color play a critical role in establishing ideals of inclusivity. Researchers said there’s much work to be done, especially when it comes to attracting and retaining teachers of color.

“Teachers of color deserve better pay, more racially informed training, and an end to the policy of sending the least experienced to the schools that urgently need expert teachers,” CRP Co-Director Gary Orfield said in a statement. “The profound educational inequalities in the state, which is also one of the nation’s leaders in school segregation, adds urgency to addressing these teacher issues.”

The second study, published by UCLA’s Center for the Transformation of Schools (CTS), explored barriers to racial equity, recruiting and retaining of people of color in California’s teaching pipeline and profession. Researchers collected data over a year to understand what was causing educator burnout, turnover and for many to leave the profession.

Researchers found that many factors contribute to the disparities, including systemic barriers, a general decline of enrollees in teacher education programs, and the fact that education is not a top career choice for students of minority groups. The study found pervasive discrimination in the training process. Economic barriers also made it difficult to pursue the profession.

Other challenges disproportionately impacting students of color pursuing a teaching career included high tuition fees, growing debt and unpaid labor in the form of career training. According to the study, Black educators owed more in federal student loans on average, with one in five owing more than $105,000 in college debt.

Once in the profession, educators of color are subjected to low salaries, lack of work-life balance and race-evasive environments at their schools.

Many teachers surveyed in the study said they did not feel comfortable at their schools and felt dismissed or ignored by colleagues when they tried discussing racism.

Some teachers of color reported feeling like they had to “walk a tightrope” so they didn’t “come off as aggressive.” Others shared that they had been confused for another colleague of the same race, had their ideas credited to white colleagues, experienced exhaustion having to explain why something is offensive and were told that they were “too sensitive” about race.

Teachers of color often begin their careers in under-resourced and underfunded schools that serve low-income students, where they are expected to take on additional roles. Lack of support and compensation for extra work — including cultural taxation that is emotionally draining and mentally demanding — causes many to leave the school district or the profession altogether, according to the study. Large class sizes and the understaffing of support positions like counselors are also factors in “early retirement.”

Low pay plays a critical role in teachers of color exiting the profession as well. The average annual salary in California for a K-12 educator starts at $46,000. Some teachers said they needed a second job and had to work summer school to support their families.

A 2021 study found that Black teachers more than doubled their counterparts when it came to leaving the classroom after their first year in the field. In recent years, organizations like The Fellowship: Black Male Educators for Social Justice and the Center for Black Educator Development help schools nationally recruit and retain Black teachers.

“There is powerful data showing the importance for students of color to have teachers of color and a curriculum that is culturally relevant,” CRP Senior Researcher Ryan Pfleger said in a statement. “With mounting evidence that teachers lacking experience are less effective, it is disturbing to find that inexperienced teachers continue to be clustered in schools with the highest concentrations of Black and Latinx students.”

Researchers called for supporting inexperienced teachers by lowering class sizes, among other recommendations. Cost-of-living concerns could be addressed by establishing debt-free teacher education programs, increasing starting salaries and providing stipend and more support for additional duties like translating for families and offering mental health guidance for students.