“My vision for the FIERCE Scholars Program is to create an initiative that aims to transform the regional education workforce by capitalizing on and retaining Inland Empire talent here in the region. By investing in the development of local community educators, we are making an intergenerational commitment to our communities and are striving to make a significant impact,” he said. 

A UCR Center for Social Innovation study highlighted the need for greater diversity among Inland Empire teachers and education leaders. The report found there are 15.9 white teachers per 100 white students compared to 1.7 Latinx teachers per 100 Latinx students in the Inland Empire, even though a majority of students in the region are Latino. In addition to the lack of educator diversity, many districts face teacher shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lack highly qualified educators in key subjects of math, science, special education, and bilingual education. 

With over 80% of UCR’s undergraduate students identifying as students of color, UCR’s FIERCE Scholars program aims to put more highly qualified teachers into regional schools by recruiting more of these students into graduate and credential programs.  

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