Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/278956 
Year of Publication: 
2023
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 16258
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
The US teaching force remains disproportionately white while the student body grows more diverse. It is therefore important to understand how and under what conditions white teachers learn racial competency. This study applies a mixed-methods approach to investigate the hypothesis that Black peers improve white teachers' effectiveness when teaching Black students. The quantitative portion of this study relies on longitudinal data from North Carolina to show that having a Black same-grade peer significantly improves the achievement and reduces the suspension rates of white teachers' Black students. These effects are persistent over time and largest for novice teachers. Qualitative evidence from open-ended interviews of North Carolina public school teachers reaffirms these findings. Broadly, our findings suggest that the positive impact of Black teachers' ability to successfully teach Black students is not limited to their direct interaction with Black students but is augmented by spillover effects on early-career white teachers, likely through peer learning.
Subjects: 
peer effects
knowledge spillovers
teacher effectiveness
teacher diversity
achievement gaps
education production function
JEL: 
I2
J24
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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