The effects of teacher race in the elementary school on student achievement test scores

Author

John Stortz, Walden University

Date of Conferral

1-1-2008

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Marie-Anne Mundy

Abstract

The racial and gender composition of elementary school teachers does not match those of the students and this may be contributing to an inequity of achievement scores between African American and European American students. This ex post facto causal comparative study compared three levels of elementary school diversity personnel staffing on Grade 4 African American student Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) scores and differences between male African American scores and female African American scores in a suburban Atlanta county. Nine intentionally selected elementary schools were chosen representing 3 racial diversity personnel staffing levels including 39% to 50%, 25% to 27%, and 1% to 3% African American staffing. The analysis of covariance or ANCOVA and the analysis of variance or ANOVA served as the data analysis tool for both hypotheses. The results of the analysis indicated that when SES was used as the covariate, the students in the schools with a 39% to 50% African American staffing performed better than the 1% to 3% African American staffing on the Reading test while the funded Title 1 schools with 25% to 27% African American staffing had the highest reading scores. Efforts to close the student African American and European American achievement gap may be facilitated by addressing the SES issue as well as closing racial gap between teachers and students. This may support positive social change for all stakeholders of public education.

Recommended Citation

Stortz, John, "The effects of teacher race in the elementary school on student achievement test scores" (2008). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 626.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/626