Welcome to the first of the New York State Series Exploring the Diversity in the New York Department of Education. This is the first of many articles that will be exploring the demographic makeup of New York States government agencies leadership. Today we will explore the demographic makeup of the New York Department of Education and how it compares with the overall demographics of the state. This will be used to measure how well the leadership in the department reflects those they serve to make educational decisions on.
The New York Department of Education is composed of eight main branches, and a few side branches serving a specific sector of education, each headed by a Deputy Commissioner who leads their particular sector. They all report and work with the Commissioner of Education, Betty A. Rosa. In all there are twelve members of leadership overseeing this agency.
As of 2010, the census reports that the New York State population is 54% of the population is White, 19% is Hispanic, 14% is Black or African American, 9% are Asian, 4.1% are Mixed and 0.21% are American Indian or Alaska Native.
The 2010 census reports that in New York State 51% of the population identified as Female and 49% of the population identified as Male.
Now that we have a brief overview or the basic demographic makeup in New York we can explore the demographics of New York States Department of Educations leaders.
The race composition of the leaders making up the New York States Department of Educations did not vary much. Nine members were White making up 75% of the departments leadership. Two were Black or African American making up 17% of the leadership and one was Hispanic making up 8% of the leadership. There is an overrepresentation of White leadership. There are more Black or African American leaders represented in the group than the overall population. Hispanics were underrepresented. Asians, those who are mixed and American Indian or Alaska natives were not represented at all.
The gender composition of the departments leadership is made up of 58% identifying as female and 42% of leadership who identify as male.
While the department had leadership that were Black or African American or Hispanic, there were still groups that were underrepresented completely. It is important to have diverse leadership for the Department of Education to better reflect the population they serve.
New York State Education Department. 2021. “About the New York State Education Department”. (http://www.nysed.gov/about)
United States Census Bureau. 2010. “U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: New York”.(https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/NY)
