More than half of minority teacher applicants fail test

BOSTON-- More than half of black and Hispanic applicants for teaching jobs in Massachusetts fail a crucial state licensing test.

Since the start of the test nearly a decade ago, 52 percent of Hispanics and 54 percent of blacks failed the writing portion of the test compared to a 23 percent failure rate among white applicants.

Blacks and Hispanics also fall behind white applicants in other test subjects like English, history and math.

Education officials tell The Boston Sunday Globe the gap is making it harder to bring more diversity to the state's teaching ranks.

The problem is so persistent that a special state task force of teachers, state education officials and hiring directors has been set up to find out why minorities don't do better on the tests.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)