Corcoran, Sean P., & Evans, William N.
Researchers: Sean P. CorcoranWilliam N. Evans
University Affiliation: New York University
Email: sean.corcoran@nyu.edu
Research Question:
Examining how the exposure of White and Black students to higher quality teachers has changed over fifteen years.
Published: 1
Journal Name or Institutional Affiliation: Russel Sage Foundation
Journal Entry: Steady Gains and Stalled Progress: Inequality and the Black-White Test Score Gap, Chapter 6, pp. 212-249
Year: 2008
Findings:
- The observed characteristics of teachers teaching Black students are for the most part similar to those teaching White students.
- Few important exceptions, such as teacher race, certification and experience. However, these differences tend to be small.
- Time-series comparisons demonstrate that the gap in qualifications, characteristics, and attitudes between teachers of the average Black and average White student widened during the 1990s.
- These differences are much more pronounced when comparing teachers in predominately Black schools to those in predominately White schools.
- Almost all of the growing inequality in exposure to experienced or qualified teachers during the 1990s can be explained by changes occurring at the elementary level.
- No evidence found that overall improvement at the secondary level masks important changes in teacher-student matching within schools (for example, through ability tracking).
- Overall finding is that differential changes in exposure to qualified teachers are an unlikely explanation for stalled progress in the achievement gap.