Do Students With a Same-Race or -Ethnicity Teacher Have Higher Executive Function Skills in Early Elementary School?

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: Teacher Demographics: The Promises and Possibilities of Teaching in the United States and Abroad

Abstract

A growing body of evidence suggests that children benefit academically from having a teacher of the same race or ethnicity. With that said, it is unknown whether having a same-race teacher influences other key domains of child development, including children’s executive functioning. To address this gap, we used the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study - Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 to examine whether students with a same race or ethnicity teacher in grades K through 2 affects working memory or cognitive flexibility. Relying on a child fixed effects model, our findings suggest that having a same race or ethnicity teacher is linked to higher cognitive flexibility. The results are especially beneficial for Black and Latinx students. Implications are discussed.

Authors

• Michael A. Gottfried, University of Pennsylvania

• Michael H. Little, North Carolina State University

• Arya Ansari, The Ohio State University