Addressing the shortage of teachers of color: Community colleges' role in the Pre-Service teacher pipeline

To address the higher education access gap, Post-Secondary institutions must be aware and address the shortage of teachers of color in K-12 education. Within this chapter, the authors argue that community colleges must play an inherent role in identifying and preparing the new generation of teachers who identify as racially or ethnically Under-Represented in the field. Evidence of the teaching shortage along with workable strategies are presented to help administrators both understand the current shortage and ways to medicate the lack of diversity in the K-12 teaching force.