The Importance of Minority Teachers: Student Perceptions of Minority Versus White Teachers

• Published in: Educational researcher Vol. 45; no. 7; pp. 407 - 420
• Main Authors: Cherng, Hua-Yu Sebastian, Halpin, Peter F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-10-2016; American Educational Research Association
• Subjects: Academic achievement; Demography; Educational Change; Educational research; Elementary School Teachers; English Teachers; Hierarchical Linear Modeling; Hispanics; Mathematics education; Mathematics Teachers; Minority Group Students; Minority Group Teachers; Race; Science Teachers; Secondary School Teachers; Student Attitudes; Student Characteristics; Students; Teacher attitudes; Teacher Characteristics; Teacher Persistence; Teacher Recruitment; Teacher Student Relationship; Teachers; Teaching conditions; Whites; Womens education; educational reform; teacher characteristics; ethnicity; race; instructional practices; hierarchical linear modeling
• ISSN: 0013-189X; 1935-102X
• DOI: 10.3102/0013189X16671718

The demographic divide between teachers and students is of growing public concern. However, few studies have explicitly addressed the common argument that students, and particularly minority students, have more favorable perceptions of minority versus White teachers. Using data from the Measure of Effective Teaching study, we find that students perceive minority teachers more favorably than White teachers. There is mixed evidence that race matching is linked with more favorable student perceptions. These findings underscore the importance of minority teacher recruitment and retention.