Assessing Differential Item Functioning in a Teacher Self-Assessment of Cultural Responsiveness

The Assessment of Culturally and Contextually Relevant Supports (ACCReS) was developed in response to the need for well-constructed instruments to measure teachers’ cultural responsiveness and guide decision-making related to professional development needs. The current study sought to evaluate the presence of differential item functioning (DIF) in ACCReS items and the magnitude of DIF, if detected. With a national sample of 999 grade K-12 teachers in the United States, we examined measurement invariance of ACCReS items in relation to responses from (a) racially and ethnically minoritized (REM) youth and white teachers (teacher race), (b) teachers in schools with 0–50% and 51–100% REM youth (student race), and (c) teachers with <1–5 years of teaching experience and teachers with >5 years of experience. Findings suggested that ACCReS items exhibited negligible levels of DIF. The lack of DIF found provides additional evidence for the validity of scores from the ACCReS to assess teachers’ cultural responsiveness. Furthermore, descriptive analyses revealed that teachers were more likely to agree with items pertaining to their own classroom practice than items related to access to adequate training and support. Results inform implications for future educational and measurement research.

When race trumps political ideology: Black teachers who advocate for social responsibility are penalized by both liberals and conservatives

Meritocracy is a prominent narrative embedded in America’s educational system: work hard and anyone can achieve success. Yet, racial disparities in education suggest this narrative does not tell the full story. Four studies ( N = 1,439) examined how applicants for a teaching position are evaluated when they invoke different narratives regarding who or what is to blame for racial disparities (i.e., individuals vs. systems). We hypothesized these evaluations would differ depending on teacher race (Black/White) and evaluator political orientation. Results revealed conservatives evaluated Black and White applicants advocating for personal responsibility more favorably than applicants advocating for social responsibility. Liberals preferred social responsibility applicants, but only when they were White. They were more ambivalent in their evaluations and hiring decisions if the applicants were Black. Our findings suggest that Black applicants advocating for social change are penalized by both liberal and conservative evaluators.

Examining the intersectionality among teacher race/ethnicity, school context, and risk for occupational stress

Combining secondary data from the National Center for Education Statistics National Teacher Principal Survey (NTPS) and Common Core of Data (CCD), this exploratory study examined the distribution of teacher race/ethnicity across the race/ethnicity of the schools in which they work and the extent that teacher and school race/ethnicity was associated with occupational stress. Findings indicate that teachers are more likely to work in schools with higher concentrations of students who match their own race/ethnicity. Both teacher and school race/ethnicity were unique predictors of a teacher being classified as at-risk for stress. Additional analyses suggested that teachers’ reported race/ethnicity significantly moderated the school effect association with stress risk. These findings have policy implications for how school workplace surveys are used as well as staffing and professional development considerations.

Teacher Race and Racial Disparities in Special Education

The U.S. teacher population is predominantly White, yet research has not yet determined how teacher race might matter to the identification of students with disabilities. This study examines the role of teacher racial composition in special education service receipt. Findings show that schools’ proportion of teachers of color, net of all other factors, is associated with students’ increased odds of receiving special education services for all categories of disability, with the exception of emotional disturbance and autism spectrum disorder. These findings may reflect higher expectations of students held by teachers of color, which may lead to greater special education receipt for students who are not performing as well as expected. Although the effects do not vary by student race for most categories of disability, the evidence presented here suggests that increased representation of teachers of color ameliorates some underrepresentation of students of color in special education.

Teachers’ Talk About Race and Caregiver Support: “You Can NEVER Be Too Sure About Parents”

This study focused on teachers’ perceptions of caregiver support for engaging in conversations about race in the classroom. We analyzed data from the Teachers’ Race Talk Survey, an exploratory survey that examines teachers’ perceptions about discussing race and racial violence in the classroom. Our analyses suggested that respondents espoused broad uncertainty for talking about race with regard to parental support. Teachers explained their responses drawing on four primary logics: (a) context characteristics, (b) family characteristics, (c) teacher characteristics, and (d) subject. We connected logics to social and cultural capital theory to further explain connections between caregivers and teacher race talk.

Student-Teacher Race Congruence: New Evidence and Insight From Tennessee

Our work aims to substantiate and extend earlier findings on the effects of student-teacher race matching on academic achievement using longitudinal data for students in Grades 3 through 8 in Tennessee. We examine heterogenous effects not only by racial subgroup and student preparedness, as explored in prior literature, but also by levels of teacher effectiveness, drawing on data from the state’s teacher evaluation system. We find that student-teacher race congruence does not have a significant overall effect on test scores. However, subgroup analyses reveal a positive, significant race-match effect in elementary school math. We observe meaningful effects for Black students in both reading and math, race-matched students in the bottom-most preparedness quartile in math, and race-matched students assigned to teachers in the middle two teacher performance quartiles in math. Our results align with prior findings, emphasizing that race-match effects transcend state borders. Findings support policy efforts to diversify the educator labor force.

Does School Racial Composition Matter to Teachers: Examining Racial Differences in Teachers’ Perceptions of Student Problems

This study investigates how teachers’ perceptions of student problems are affected by school-level student/teacher racial compositions. Utilizing the full spectrum of student/teacher racial compositions, results from nonlinear models show that students, regardless of their individual racial background, will be evaluated partially on the racial composition of the school they attend. This conclusion holds irrespective of individual teacher race, although teacher racial identity influences the extent to which school composition matters. Findings suggest that White, but not Black or Hispanic, teachers are affected by teacher racial composition when making judgments about the severity of student problems.

The Role of School Environment in Teacher Dissatisfaction Among U.S. Public School Teachers

This article discusses the relationship between the school environment and teacher dissatisfaction utilizing the 2007-2008 School and Staffing Survey. The school environment is defined through a social-ecological perspective which takes into account the hierarchical nature of schools. Teacher dissatisfaction was quantified through a composite of variables that asked teachers about their overall feelings regarding the profession. A logistic regression was performed with teacher dissatisfaction as the criterion variable, and school environment variables and teacher background variables as predictors. School environment played a statistically significant role in the dissatisfaction of teachers. Specifically, teacher autonomy and principal leadership decreased the odds of teacher dissatisfaction, while student and community problems increased the odds of teacher dissatisfaction. Once school environment was taken into account, the log odds of teacher race, middle school status, and rural school locale increased while remaining statistically significant.