"The Best and Brightest"

The 15 attributes identified by Dr. Martin Haberman and not GPA (Grade Point Average) describe "the best and brightest" population for teaching diverse learners:

1. they are over age 30
2. they live in or were raised in metropolitan area
3. they have attended schools in a metropolitan area as a child or youth
4. they are parents or have had life experiences which involved extensive relationships with children
5. they are African American, Latino, members of a minority group, or from a working class white family
6. they earned a bachelors degree from other than a highly selective or elitist college; many started in community colleges
7. they majored in a field other than education as an undergraduate
8. they have had extensive and varied work experiences before seeking to become teachers
9. they are part of a family/church/ethnic community in which teaching is still regarded as a fairly high-status career
10. they have experienced a period of living in poverty or have the capacity to emphasize with the challenges of living in poverty
11. they have had out-of-school experiences with children of diverse backgrounds
12. they may have had military experience but not as an officer
13. they live in the city or would have no objection to moving into the city to meet a residency requirement
14. they have engaged in paid or volunteer activities with diverse children in poverty
15. they can multitask and do several things simultaneously and quickly for extended periods, such as parenting and working part time jobs

Obviously these attributes won't guarantee that a teacher will be successful with Hispanic learners but the likelihood is greater that they will succeed and remain at a school with a high Hispanic population.

Reference

Haberman, M. (2005) Star Teachers the Ideology and Best Practice of Effective Teachers of Diverse Children and Youth in Poverty. The Haberman Educational Foundation.