Student-Teacher Ethnoracial Matching at Charter and Traditional Public Schools

Abstract

ABSTRACT Using classroom-level data from nearly all California schools, we investigate whether Hispanic, Asian, Black, and Native students in grades K-5 are more likely to have a teacher of the same race at charter schools or traditional public schools in 2017-18, what school and student characteristics explain these differences, and how ethnoracial matching rates changed since 2012-13. Hispanic and Black students experience greater rates of ethnoracial matching at charter schools, whereas Asian and Native students experience greater match rates at traditional public schools. Having a same-race principal is a strong predictor of student-teacher ethnoracial match in many models. Since 2012-13, ethnoracial matching increased for Hispanic and Asian students, decreased for Black students, and remained stable for Native students. These findings are important given the benefits of exposure to teachers of the same ethnoracial identity and number of students of color in charter schools.