The lack of minority representation in the educational field is a matter of concern for urban, suburban and rural school districts.

Although minority students account for over a third of Connecticut's public school students, only 7 percent of the state's teachers and 2 percent of the administrators in Connecticut's public schools are minorities.

Forty percent of Connecticut public school students will never have a teacher who is not white. It is important that all children have access to positive role models from a variety of backgrounds in order to be successful in an increasingly global society.

The Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) Minority Teacher Recruiting (MTR) Program is a product of the combined efforts of approximately 25 school districts in Greater Hartford. It is an integral part of an overall effort to increase the numbers of African American, Hispanic/ Latino, Native American, and Asian American teachers and administrators in the region's public schools. Program services assist schools to recruit, hire and retain a diverse teaching and administrative staff that more closely represents the diversity of the student population.

The following districts voluntarily participate in the CREC MTR program:

Berlin, Bloomfield, Bristol, Canton, CREC, East Hartford, Ellington, Farmington, Hartford, Manchester, Newington, Plainville, Simsbury, Vernon, West Hartford, Wethersfield, Windsor.