Associations Between Teacher-Student Racial/Ethnic Congruence and Occupational Stress Among U.S. Teachers

• In Event: Stressors in the Lives of Students

Abstract

Intersections between teacher-student racial/ethnic congruence and occupational stress among Black, Hispanic, and White teachers were examined, using the congruence/incongruence of teachers’ self-reported race/ethnicity with the predominant racial/ethnic composition of students. Data from the 2015-16 National Teacher and Principal Survey, a nationally representative sample of 31,950 teachers from 6,430 schools, was used to create scale scores: teacher appraisals of classroom demands and resources, risk for stress, job satisfaction, and workplace fatigue. Black, Hispanic, and White teachers reported lower risk for stress, demands, and workplace fatigue, as well as higher resources and job satisfaction when working in majority White schools, while the reverse relationship was found in majority Black or Hispanic schools.

Authors

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

• Jendayi Bizzelle Dillard, The University of Texas at Austin

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

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

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