Jan 11, 2025 Story by: Editor
A recent study indicates that New York City public school teachers are more likely to stay at schools where both the principal and a higher proportion of peers share their race or ethnicity. This finding underscores the role of representation and a sense of belonging in fostering a diverse and stable teacher workforce.
Research highlights that teachers of color in the U.S. face higher turnover rates compared to White teachers, and this gap has widened over the past decade. To explore how staff demographics influence teacher retention, researchers analyzed turnover trends within New York City public schools.
“This study is a crucial step in understanding the role that school leadership and peer diversity play in retaining teachers of color, offering new insights that could shape future policies to create more supportive, stable teaching environments,” said lead author Luis Rodriguez, assistant professor of educational leadership and policy studies at NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.
Rodriguez and his team reviewed nine years of data from the 2011–12 to 2019–20 academic years to identify patterns in teacher turnover. They examined records of teachers who transferred schools within the NYC public school system or left the system entirely. The study used human resource data, teacher demographic information, school placements, and NYC School Survey data, which offered insights into teachers’ perceptions of their school environments. Teachers included in the study identified as Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, or another race/ethnicity.
The study, published in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, found that Black teachers were 2 percentage points less likely to leave schools led by a Black principal compared to schools with a White or non-Black principal. This equates to roughly a 14% reduction in turnover for Black teachers. Additionally, Black teachers were 2 percentage points less likely to leave schools with a moderate share of Black teachers (at least 20%) compared to those with fewer Black teachers. Similarly, White teachers were 1 percentage point less likely to leave schools led by a White principal, corresponding to an 8% reduction in turnover for White teachers. Similar trends were observed for White teachers in schools with a moderate share of White staff.
In New York City, where White teachers make up 78% and Black teachers 17% of the teaching workforce, the study suggests that 95% of teachers are more likely to stay at schools where their principals and peers share their racial or ethnic backgrounds.
“Several factors may explain why teachers prefer working in schools where they share ethnoracial backgrounds with their colleagues, as it could foster a strong sense of community and support, leading to a stronger sense of belonging and satisfaction,” Rodriguez stated. “However, many other factors, both within and outside the school environment, also influence teachers’ decision to stay, and we believe these areas also warrant further exploration.”
This study was co-authored by Julie Pham, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, and Briana Gonçalves, doctoral candidate at New York University. Source: NYU
