Bonus helps entice minorities to Rogers teaching jobs

Ryan Quintana, world history and science teacher at Lingle Middle School in Rogers, works Friday with students on a science project. Quintana qualified for a one-time bonus of $5,000 this past spring. It’s paid to Hispanic teachers and administrators once they’ve completed five years with the district.
Ryan Quintana, world history and science teacher at Lingle Middle School in Rogers, works Friday with students on a science project. Quintana qualified for a one-time bonus of $5,000 this past spring. It’s paid to Hispanic teachers and administrators once they’ve completed five years with the district.

ROGERS -- The School District this summer paid its first bonus to an employee through a grant intended to help attract and retain Hispanic educators.

Ryan Quintana, a science and world history teacher at Lingle Middle School, qualified for the one-time bonus of $5,000 this past spring. It's paid to Hispanic teachers and administrators once they've completed five years with the district.

Teacher demographics by state

This chart compares the demographics of teachers in Arkansas with those of other neighboring states. Numbers represent percentages and come from the National Center for Education Statistics’ School and Staffing Survey: Teacher Questionnaire, 2011–12.

StateWhiteBlackHispanicOther*Two or more races

Arkansas821411*3

Mississippi732510*1

Missouri91711*2

Oklahoma82419*6

Tennessee91531*3

Texas659232*24

Source: Staff report

Officials hope the bonuses lead to a more ethnically diverse staff that more closely resembles the children they're teaching. The district has increased its percentage of teachers who are Hispanic from 1.7 percent in 2013 to 3.2 percent now.

Roger Hill, assistant superintendent for human resources, acknowledged that's still a small percentage, considering about 45 percent of the district's students are Hispanic.

"But we're moving in the right direction," he said.

The bonuses are made possible through the Hispanic Recruitment and Retention grant of $184,950, provided by the Walton Family Foundation in 2011. The district also may use the grant money to reimburse Hispanic employees for up to $2,000 in relocation expenses, Hill said.

The district has hired 26 Hispanic teachers and one Hispanic administrator since receiving the grant. The goal has been to hire five Hispanics per year, so on average the district is meeting its goal, Hill said.

"The grant has been helpful. It is working," Hill said.

The foundation has provided other grants supporting the diversification of teaching staffs, but Rogers is the only district that has received this particular grant, according to Luis Gonzalez, a foundation spokesman.

"Recruiting and retaining high-performing Hispanic teachers will go a long way in better supporting English-language learning children and their families, according to Rogers Public Schools leaders," Gonzalez wrote in an email. "We agree and believe when kids see a teacher who has a similar background, that student has a deeper connection with school and learning."

Quintana, 31, was born in El Paso, Texas, and grew up in nearby Las Cruces, N.M. His great-grandparents were from Mexico, he said.

He knew little about Arkansas when he met Jane Webb, who at the time was the Rogers district's head of human resources, at a New Mexico State University job fair.

"I looked at Google images of Rogers and I was like, yeah, that's not me," Quintana said. "Because it looked like a small town."

But district officials were persistent, and Quintana eventually agreed to come visit. That visit convinced him Rogers was where he wanted to be.

"It totally blew my mind," he said about Rogers. "It was totally opposite of what I thought it would be."

He spent two years at Bonnie Grimes Elementary School before transferring to Lingle Middle School for the 2013-14 school year. He estimated more than 60 percent of his students at Lingle are Hispanic.

Quintana has found being of the same ethnicity as so many of his students makes a difference.

"I've come to find out that parents, they'll talk to me more," he said. "The kids do kind of feel more comfortable around me. There's a lot of similarities between me and them. Those similarities are bonds, and the student-teacher relationship is stronger."

Quintana also coaches football and soccer. He's pursuing a master's degree in educational leadership at the University of Arkansas with hopes of becoming a principal.

As for the bonus he received, he almost forgot about it until Hill reminded him of it this summer.

"It's a great incentive to get people out here," Quintana said. "I came and put in my five years, but now I plan on being here forever."

Also in line to receive the bonus is Milton Martinez, who began his teaching career last month as a Spanish teacher at New Technology High School in Rogers.

Martinez, 31, moved to the United States from El Salvador when he was 18. He learned English, got an associate degree from Northwest Arkansas Community College, then moved on to the University of Arkansas, where he earned a bachelor's degree in education in May.

Martinez is certified to teach business, but Rogers needed a Spanish teacher. He agreed to take on four levels of Spanish classes at New Technology High School.

"I love it. It's a lot of fun," he said.

He sees value in having someone of his background working in the school, especially someone who came to the country not knowing English.

"I think it's big. In our community you need role models. I think me being a teacher helps a lot of students to realize the opportunities are there for everyone, and all you have to do is work hard for the things you dream about," Martinez said.

The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, a program launched in 1990, has worked to address a national shortage of Hispanic teachers.

While nearly 25 percent of public school students are Hispanic, only 7.8 percent of the teaching workforce is Hispanic, according to the group's website.

Studies have shown evidence teachers who are minorities have positive effects on the academic performances of their students of color.

For example, a 2004 study by Stanford University professor Thomas Dee, published in The Review of Economics and Statistics, found significantly increased math and reading achievement of both black and white students when they were assigned to a teacher of their own race.

Hill said he's tried to recruit Hispanic teachers from out of state, but many don't want to leave their state, especially if they have family in that area.

"Even as nice as Northwest Arkansas is, if your family isn't here, it's not as attractive," Hill said. "That's one of the things I've run into. They'll visit and talk, but when you get right down to it, they start talking about mom and dad, and brother and sister."

He said he has more success hiring local residents.

"Some are young men and ladies who graduated from Rogers," Hill said.

The Springdale School District also has a high percentage of students who are Hispanic -- about 46 percent. Another 12 percent are classified as native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, most of whom are Marshallese, according to the most recent data available from the state.

Of Springdale's educators, 17 percent are minorities and 3.1 percent are Hispanic.

Hiring minorities is a high priority, though the most important thing is to hire the best available teacher, said Jared Cleveland, deputy superintendent for Springdale schools.

"We want to have balance," Cleveland said. "But there are times when the minority folks just aren't there to hire. We're trying to grow our own."

The district offers no special incentives for minorities to come work there, he said.

Cleveland believes the best method of hiring more minorities is to "grow your own" teachers by encouraging current students to pursue a career in education.

Nevertheless, he traveled to Texas in March to promote Springdale to potential teachers at four universities that have high populations of students who are minorities. Most people there aren't aware of the opportunities available in Northwest Arkansas, he said.

"People just don't know about it. It's kind of a hidden gem. If we can get them, I think we can keep them," Cleveland said.

NW News on 09/25/2016

Upcoming Events