Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Despite their growing presence in public K-12 classrooms, minority students are significantly less likely than whites to encounter a teacher who shares their race/ethnicity, while male students continue to be less likely to be exposed to a male teacher. Prior empirical studies have examined the impact of demographic dynamics in the classroom on teachers' perceptions of student engagement and performance, teacher expectations for educational attainment, students' absences and suspensions, and gains in student achievement. To date, however, students in early elementary school (K-3) in Tennessee provide the only estimates using random assignment data. Using student-level data from six school districts across the U.S., this instrumental variable analysis leverages the random assignment of teachers to class sections to estimate the causal effects of teacher demographic match on math and ELA achievement for students in grades 4 through 8. Although the overall effects are insignificant, subgroup analyses by grade level, race, and gender reveal notable significant effects. Policy implications associated with the underrepresentation of minority and male teachers are discussed.