PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The Providence public school system is getting a $3.1 million grant that will help it improve teacher diversity through a college loan repayment incentive program.

Officials said Monday the grant from the Rhode Island Foundation will enable the state’s largest school district to offer up to $25,000 in loan repayment incentives to new teachers who identify as Black, Asian, Indigenous, Latino or multi-racial.

Foundation President and CEO Neil Steinberg says about 80% of the district’s roughly 24,000 students are people of color while only about 20% of teachers are.

He says research shows that when taught by a teacher of color, students of color do better.