These contacts were then asked to identify additional contacts, programs, and organizations engaging in related work. Members of the project team reached out to this additional set of contacts, again requesting referrals to others who were working toward similar goals. This process continued until it reached the point of saturation—that is, the point where referrals repeatedly led back to contacts, programs, and organizations already identified by the project team.

In addition to gathering information about current programs, initiatives, partnerships, and organizations, the project team also documented current state-level policies deliberately focused on increasing the diversity of educators. Between August 2021 and February 2022, we identified and reviewed relevant statutes, rules, and regulations for each of the six New England states. While the New England region generally promotes local district autonomy, there are a few areas where states have exercised their purview by enacting policies that have the potential for diversifying the educator workforce. In most cases, these tend to be statutes enacted by legislatures or policies passed by state boards of education governing specific functions for which the state education agency is responsible for implementation. We also reviewed currently enacted and relevant state statutes as well as current rules and regulations governing the responsibilities of state education agencies and local education agencies (i.e. school districts).