Poster #80 - Teacher-Student Racial/Ethnic Congruence Effect on Classroom-Level Social and Academic Outcomes: Moderation by Classroom Diversity

• In Event: 3-206 - Poster Session 13
  In Poster Session: PS 13 Section - Education, Schooling

Integrative Statement

A growing body of research has examined the protective nature of teacher-student racial/ethnic match (T-S Match) and student racial diversity (Diversity) in classrooms for students of color (Egalite, Kisida, & Winters, 2015; Brenner & Crosnoe, 2011). Specifically, teacher and student race/ethnicity can influence how teachers perceive students and vice versa (Egalite & Kisida, 2018); and racial/ethnic alignment between children and their teachers can engender warmer learning environments and provide culturally relevant role models for students (Cherng & Halpin, 2016). Racially/ethnically integrated schooling is linked to children’s short-term academic success, as well as their longer-term success in postsecondary schooling, college, and attaining higher-wage jobs in adulthood (Hanushek, Ruhose, & Woessmann, 2016).
Diverse classrooms are also associated with higher quality teacher-student relationships, social competence, and lower student-reported depression than less diverse classrooms (Rucinski et al, under review). Although teacher-student race/ethnicity matching and classroom diversity are associated with positive student academic and social outcomes, less is known about the effects of teacher-student matching on classrooms’ academic and social outcomes at different levels of classroom diversity.

The current study employed multilevel modeling to examine the associations between the classroom proportion of teacher-student race/ethnicity match and classroom aggregated social and academic student outcomes, and how these associations varied by levels of racial/ethnic classroom diversity. Data were drawn from a RCT of a professional learning program with 224 teachers and 5200 students from 36 low-SES schools in New York City. Data included teacher-reports of students’ social and academic measures collected in fall and spring of either 2012-2013 or 2013-2014 school years: Student Teacher Relationship Quality (Pianta, 1992): Closeness (7 items, α = .87); Conflict (8 items, α = .91); Social Skills Improvement System (Social Skills; Gresham & Elliott, 2008;10 items, alpha = .94), Academic Competence Evaluation Scales (DiPerna & Elliott, 2000): Engagement (3 items, α =.92); Motivation (3 items, α = .94), Reading (3 items, α = .97), Math (3 items, α = .98). These reports were aggregated to the classroom level. Levels of T-S Match and Diversity respectively were low (No T-S Match; racially/ethnically homogeneous classrooms), average (Some T-S Match; moderately diverse classrooms), or high (Many T-S Match; racially/ethnically heterogeneous classrooms).

Results suggest teachers with higher proportions of T-S Match in highly diverse classrooms reported better classroom engagement, motivation, relational closeness, social skills, and math competency at the end of the year compared to highly diverse classrooms having fewer same-race/ethnicity T-S Match. This was also true in moderately diverse classrooms for engagement and motivation; however, there were no effects of T-S Match on classroom engagement and motivation in low diversity classrooms. Low diversity classrooms with fewer T-S Match were associated with higher end of the year classroom relational closeness, social skills, and math than low diversity classrooms having more T-S Match (racially/ethnically homogeneous). The latter racially/ethnically homogeneous classrooms were associated with the lowest mean levels across the set of classroom outcomes. Results suggest it may not be enough to diversify classrooms based solely on students’ racial/ethnic backgrounds without also increasing minority teachers’ representation in classrooms.

Authors

• Damira Rasheed, The Graduate Center at City University of New York
  Presenting Author

• Joshua L. Brown, Fordham University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sebrina L. Doyle, Pennsylvania State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Patricia Ann Jennings, University of Virginia
  Non-Presenting Author