Differences in Teacher Background and School Structure by Racial/Ethnic Congruence Between Teachers and Students

• In Event: Structural Issues Effecting the Teacher Workforce

Abstract

Differences in personal characteristics, professional qualifications, and contextual factors for congruent and incongruent Black, Hispanic, and White teachers were investigated using data from the National Teacher and Principal Survey (nteachers=25,420; nschools=5,500). Racial/ethnic congruence was defined as the match between the predominant race/ethnicity of students within a school and the teacher’s own race/ethnicity. White incongruent elementary and secondary teachers were less qualified than their congruent counterparts. There were few differences in teacher qualifications between congruent and incongruent Black and Hispanic teachers. This study demonstrates that predominantly White schools employ more qualified teachers given the substantial differences between White congruent and incongruent teachers and thereby illustrates yet another aspect of systemic inequities in U.S. schools.

Authors

• Richard G. Lambert, University of North Carolina - Charlotte

• Christopher J. Mccarthy, The University of Texas at Austin

• Jendayi Bizzelle Dillard, The University of Texas at Austin

• Paul G. Fitchett, University of North Carolina - Charlotte

• Kristen C. Mosley, The University of Texas at Austin