Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Study: The ‘Role Model Effect’ Can Impact High School Dropout Rates

Having one Black teacher in elementary school can have lasting effects on high school dropout rates and student intentions on attending college, according to a new study.

After looking at data from public school systems in North Carolina and Tennessee, the study, The Long-Run Impacts of Same-Race Teachers, found that having one Black teacher in grades 3-5 reduced the probability of a low-income Black male student dropping out of high school by 39 percent. For Black males and females, the intent of attending a four-year college went up by 19 percent. When isolating Black males only, this effect was stronger, with the intent increasing by 29 percent.

Nick Papageorge, assistant professor of economics at Johns Hopkins University and co-author of the study, is still looking into why this may be the case. He and co-author Seth Gershenson looked into the concept of "teacher expectations" in a different paper two years ago, where they found some interesting results. 

Click here for the full article. 

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