There is mounting evidence about the positive impact
of teachers of color.
Researchers call this the role model effect.
First, a study this year found [that] having just one
black teacher in third, fourth or fifth grade
lowers the probability that low-income black
boys will drop out of high school by 39 percent.
It also raises black students’ expectations
of going to college.
The researchers looked at long-term records
of more than 100,000 elementary school
students in North Carolina.
They checked their conclusions by
looking at students in Tennessee.
Again, these positive role model effects were found
seven to eight years after having just one black teacher.
In another study, black teachers were
three times as likely to recognize black students
as being gifted.
In general, African-Americans are
less likely than white students to be put
on a “gifted” track — even when they have
similar test scores.
But when those students have a teacher
who looks like them, that gap disappears.
Finally, last year, another study came out that suggested
that students of all races prefer teachers
of color and have more positive
perceptions of Latino and African-American
teachers specifically.
The public school teaching force remains
more than 80 percent white.
But the evidence is rising that diverse schools
and diverse teachers have benefits for everyone.
