Dallas ISD recruiting diverse educators, offering incentives for new teachers

According to Jackson, higher incentives may be offered for teachers for secondary math, science, Spanish and self-contained classrooms.

DISD officials said they will continue to recruit certified teachers from Mexico offering the same incentives as American teachers in addition to visa sponsorship. This aims to minimize the impact of teacher shortages in 2023-24.

“We feel that it's very important to bring individuals from around the world to be able to provide opportunities for them to learn from our great teachers in Dallas ISD and vice versa for them to be able to bring some of their expertise from their home country,” Jackson said.

The international recruitment will not only help fill vacant positions, but also address the needs of their students, many of whom are Latino and bilingual, according to Jackson. The district's Black and Latino Male Resident Teacher Program aims to add more diverse staff to match the student body.

“We know that we have a high percentage of Latino and African American students in our school system, and we want to make sure that they have individuals who look like them to be able to teach them,” Jackson said. “We know that statistics have shown that students who have someone who looks like them in the classroom are more likely to graduate from high school and be successful in their matriculation to college.”

More information on hiring events and programs for DISD is available here. Those interested in applying for a certified teaching position can do so here.