School Leaders and Retention of Teachers of Color in Texas: An Exploratory Analysis

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 13
  In Roundtable Session: Teacher Retention Lessons and Questions From Large Data Sets

Abstract

The purpose of this exploratory analysis is to better understand the association between school leader characteristics and workforce outcomes for teachers of color. Drawing on longitudinal data, I describe the rate of principal-teacher race-match in all Texas K-12 public schools for teachers of color, specifically Black, Latinx, and Asian teachers while also showing extent to which principal-teacher race-match is associated with teacher retention. Preliminary results indicate that across schools, rates of principal-teacher race-match in Texas are significantly lower for Black, Latinx, and Asian teachers compared to White teachers and that race-match increases the probability of retention for all teachers, specifically for Latinx and White teachers. Implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed.

Author

• Wesley Edwards, University of North Texas