The Power of Congruence

“Through the Labor Market Looking Glass: An Inquiry into Principal-Teacher Race Congruence,” by Goff, et al.
Research study and blog, October 1, 2018

A recently published study by Peter Goff et al., from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, evaluated the role that the race of public school principals plays in teacher "recruitment and retention." Researchers used the framework of "representative bureaucracy," defined by Goff in an accompanying blog post published by the Brookings Institution, as the theory "that people are more likely to work in organizations led and managed by people with whom they may have shared similar life experiences."  With this lens, the researchers investigated the impact that having a shared racial background with a school principal has on a given teaching applicant's job search and selection process, as well as, if hired, their long-term commitment to the school. Their findings were striking. According to Goff, the researchers found that "teacher-principal race congruence is a significant factor that moderates how teachers select the schools in which they work," and this tendency was even more pronounced for People of Color, defined as "Minoritized individuals" by the researchers in the study. Although Goff’s team's study only focused on Wisconsin public schools, this data is relevant for independent school leaders as it clearly highlights the impact that racial representation in administrative positions has when it comes to recruiting non-white teachers in schools.

The Brookings Institution, Goff: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2018/12/14/want-more-diverse-teachers-in-more-places-start-with-diverse-principals/

“Through the Labor Market Looking Glass: An Inquiry into Principal-Teacher Race Congruence,” Goff, et al.: https://wcer.wisc.edu/docs/working-papers/Working_Paper_No_2018_13_2.pdf