How does the racial/ethnic background of teachers affect minority students’ achievement?

1. How does the racial/ethnic background of teachers affect minority students’ achievement? Why is it necessary to diversify the teaching workforce?

2. Teacher homogeneity and the racial achievement gap: • In 2008 43% of students in public schools were of color, while 90% of teachers were White. • Black and Hispanic students achieve lower test scores than their White and Asian peers, across all economic levels.

3. Brown vs. the Board of Education - impact on Black population • Significant decline of Black teachers. • Significant decline of Black students’ achievement levels • Lack of Black teachers affects how students view and envision the possibilities for their own lives.

4. Positive impact of shared backgrounds: • Higher expectations of minority students from teachers of same race. • Better understanding of students’ learning styles, behaviors. • Positive role-models. • Better communication with students’ family/community.

5. Positive role models: • Stereotypes are internalized by minority students, which affects their academic achievement. • Students need to see people who share their backgrounds in positions of power to better visualize their own life possibilities. • Teachers of color combat negative stereotype affects by their presence and influence in the educational world.

6. Cultural understanding: • Teachers act as cultural translators/mediators. • Teachers of color can transition monocultural students to become multicultural learners. • Less likely to misconstrue normal language barriers/behaviors as disabilities.

7. Teacher’s perceptions of student ability: • White teachers’ beliefs of their ability to teach students varies depending on students’ racial/ethnic backgrounds. • Teachers of color have higher expectations for students who share their race/ethnicity.

8. Students’ perceptions of teacher bias: • Minority students perceive that White teachers are biased. • Negative perceptions increase drop-out rate of Mexican-American students. • Minority students’ perceptions are not unfounded. • Students level of achievement is related to messages received from teachers.

9. Oregon: Oregon statistics:

10. Overrepresentation of minority students in special education: • Level of English language ability is often confused with learning disability. • White teachers’ lack of cultural/behavioral understanding often constitutes more minority students being placed in SPED. • Huge overrepresentation of Black students in SPED

11. Need to diversify the teaching workforce! • Including people of color in teaching workforce benefits all students regardless of race. • White students gain insights from diverse perspectives • Minority students gain self-efficacy, positive sense of personal possibilities, belief in their ability to achieve.