Teachers are more likely to stay on the job when their principal is of the same race as they are, according to a study in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management.
Analyzing data from the federal Schools and Staffing Survey, researchers found that, among both African-American and white teachers, turnover was lower and work satisfaction was higher in schools with a same-race principal. The analysis also found that white teachers were paid more than African-American teachers, in the form of stipends for coaching teams or sponsoring clubs, in schools with white principals. Supplemental-salary rates were about even for both races in schools led by black principals, according to the researchers.
The report was published in the summer edition of the journal but publicized last week by the University of Missouri, in Columbia, where its co-author, Lael Keiser, is an associate professor of political science. The other author is Jason Grisson, an assistant professor of public policy and education at Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, Tenn.
