Immediate Offset

Does Teacher Diversity Matter for Student Learning? by Claire Cain Miller
New York Times Upshot, September 10, 2018

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When students return to classrooms in September 2019, they will experience a fact of staffing that has proven impact on their learning: many will not see themselves in the race and gender of their teachers. How much does it matter? A significant body of research, cited in this article, identifies teacher homogeneity as a substantial contributor to race and gender gaps in student learning. Across both public schools and independent schools in the US, the workforce is becoming more female (77%), and, though increasingly racially diverse, it is still 80% white. The negative effects of these figures are manifested largely in boys, and particularly in boys of color. Benefits of teacher diversity were most significant for the achievement, aspirations, and outcomes for boys, black children, and students in middle and high school. There are implications for the entire profession in these research results. Recruitment, retention, and  training are long term areas for action, but Cain Miller also points out that schools can immediately begin to offset the negative impact of unfavorable levels of diversity. High quality professional development that  teaches the teachers schools already have about their specific race and gender-related stereotypes and biases makes possible measurable gains for students. When teachers signal to all students that they believe in their capacity to learn, that intelligence is not fixed, and that each student adds value to the life of the classroom, data indicates higher success rates among, particularly, those students placed at highest risk by the experience of staffing that does not fully reflect the student race and gender demographics of the class.