NYC teachers more likely to stay at schools with principals, peers of the same race/ethnicity

New York City public school teachers are more likely to stay in schools with a principal and higher proportion of peers that share their race/ethnicity, suggesting the importance of representation and belonging in growing a diverse teacher workforce.

Research shows that compared to White teachers, teachers of color in the United States have consistently higher rates of turnover, a gap that has widened in the last decade. To better understand how staff demographics influence this phenomenon, researchers studied turnover trends in New York City public schools.

“This study is a crucial step in understanding the role that school leadership and peer diversity play in retaining teachers of color, offering new insights that could shape future policies to create more supportive, stable teaching environments,” says lead author Luis Rodriguez, assistant professor of educational leadership and policy studies at NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.

Rodriguez and his co-authors analyzed data spanning nine years from academic year 2011–12 to 2019–20 to find patterns for teachers who transferred to new schools within the NYC public school system during a school year, or left the system entirely. They evaluated human resource data with teacher demographic information and school placements; administrative data providing school characteristics; and NYC School Survey data, with insights regarding teachers’ perceptions of school environments. The researchers focused on teachers who identified as Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, or other race/ethnicity.

Their results, published in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, found that Black teachers were 2 percentage points less likely to leave schools led by a Black principal, compared to a White principal or one of another race. This translates to an approximate 14% reduction in the turnover rate for Black teachers. With regard to fellow teachers, Black teachers were also 2 percentage points less likely to leave schools that have at least a moderate share of Black teachers (at least 20%, as a rough estimate) in their school than if there had been no or relatively few Black teachers. White teachers were 1 percentage point less likely to leave schools led by a White principal, translating to an 8% reduction in the turnover rate for White teachers. Similar patterns were observed with White teachers in schools with a moderate share of staff of the same race.

In NYC, White and Black teachers comprise approximately 78% and 17% of teachers, respectively, meaning that 95% of NYC teachers are more likely to stay at schools with principals and peers of the same race/ethnicity.

“Several factors may explain why teachers prefer working in schools where they share ethnoracial backgrounds with their colleagues, as it could foster a strong sense of community and support, leading to a stronger sense of belonging and satisfaction,” says Rodriguez. “However, many other factors, both within and outside the school environment, also influence teachers’ decision to stay, and we believe these areas also warrant further exploration.

This research was co-authored by Julie Pham, postdoctoral researcher, University of Nevada-Las Vegas; and Briana Gonçalves, doctoral candidate, New York University.