The Relationship Between African-American Teachers and 8th Grade Student Achievement on Title I Campuses

The focus of this study was to examine the relationship between African-American teachers and academic achievement of middle school students in Title I schools. Student achievement was determined using the passing requirements on the state standardized test for reading and math. The study sought to identify a relationship between the percentage of African-American teachers and student achievement in an effort to close the achievement gap.

The study examined data from TEA for the 2010-2011 school year. There were 198 schools that met the criteria for the study. Findings showed no significant relationship between the academic achievement of 8th grade African-American students and the percentage of African-American teachers on campus. Further data analysis indicated that the achievement gap between Black and White students was larger on campuses with more African-American teachers. Therefore, more than teacher ethnicity should be considered when hiring teachers to affect student achievement on Title I campuses.