Education

Study: Black Students from Poor Families Are More Likely to Graduate From High School If They Have at Least One Black Teacher

Published

9 years ago

April 12, 2017

By Valerie Strauss, Washington Post

A new study says that assigning black students from low-income black families to at least one black teacher in the third, fourth or fifth grades reduces the probability that they drop out of high school by 29 percent. The results are even larger for male African American students from persistently low-income families: Their chance of dropping out of high school falls 39 percent.
The study also found that black students of both genders from low-income families are more likely to aspire to attend a four-year college if they have at least one black teacher between third and fifth grades There was, however, no effect found on the dropout decisions of female students, “perhaps due to females’ significantly higher baseline graduation rates,” the study said.
The results are the latest in a growing body of evidence that race affects how teachers view and treat their students. As my colleague Emma Brown wrote in this story, black students taught by white teachers are less likely to be identified for gifted programs than black students taught by black teachers, and biases exist in teachers’ grading of work by students of different genders, races and ethnicities.

The new study was published by the IZA Institute of Labor Economics, an independent economic research institute in Germany, and conducted by Seth Gershenson, an associate professor in the Department of Public Administration and Policy at American University and IZA; Cassandra M.D. Hart, an assistant professor of education policy at the University of California at Davis; Constance A. Lindsay, a professorial lecturer in the School of Public Affairs of American University; and Nicholas W. Papageorge, assistant professor of economics at Johns Hopkins University and IZA.
The study goes beyond previous research that showed short-term benefits to pairing students with teachers of the same race, demonstrating longer-term affects. The implications are important, Papageorge said, because policymakers can act quickly to improve black students’ chances of academic success.
“This isn’t a situation where students need two, three or four black teachers to make a difference,” he was quoted as saying in a Johns Hopkins release. “This could be implementable tomorrow. You could literally go into a school right now and switch around the rosters so that every black child gets to face a black teacher.”
Actually, it may not be that easy. A report released by the Education Department in 2016 said that the latest data found that about 82 percent of teachers in America’s public schools are white; 8 percent are Hispanic; 7 percent are black, with only 2 percent black males; 2 percent are Asian; and about half of a percent are American Indian or Alaska Native. Sixty-three percent of teachers working in high-poverty elementary and secondary schools were white; 16 percent were black and 16 percent were Hispanic, the data said. And teachers of color are overwhelmingly employed in public schools serving student populations with relatively high proportions of students of color and public schools in urban area.
For the study, the researchers first looked at longitudinal data on about 100,000 black students who entered third grade in North Carolina public schools between 2001 and 2005. Then they studied black students in Tennessee who entered kindergarten in the late 1980s and participated in a class-size reduction experiment; they found that students who had at least one black teacher in kindergarten through grade three were 15 percent less likely to drop out and 10 percent more likely to take a college-entrance exam.

Why? The researchers found no definitive answer, but they noted in the study that one explanation could be the “role model effect.” In this line of thinking, the study says, “black teachers have higher educational expectations for black students, which in turn increase black students’ educational engagement and aspirations.”
A 2016 study co-authored by Papageorge found that white and black teachers do have different expectations for black students, raising questions about whether biases held by teachers is a factor in the achievement gap between black and white students.

According to that study, a white or other nonblack teacher is 30 percent less likely to believe that a student will graduate from a four-year college than a black teacher who is evaluating the same black student. The nonblack teacher is 40 percent less likely to believe the student will graduate from high school than the black teacher — and the results for black male students was worse.

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Business

County Office of Education Says OUSD Finances Are Getting Healthier, Materially Stronger

The Oakland Unified School District’s recent budget submission has been deemed “materially stronger” by the Alameda County Office of Education, reflecting deliberate work by the new board and superintendent. Despite needing further cuts in the coming years, the district is progressing toward financial health, according to ACOE Superintendent Alysse Castro. This assessment counters critics who suggest a dire financial outlook for Oakland schools, acknowledging the district has made significant reductions and adopted a plan to address structural challenges. The ACOE commended the district’s efforts to get its financial house in order. Read more to learn about the details of these financial improvements.

Published

2 hours ago

September 27, 2026

Post News Group

ACOE Supt. Alysse Castro; OUSD Supt. Dr. Denise Saddler. File photos.

By Ken Epstein

County’s letter counters critics who offer Doomsday scenarios for Oakland schools

The Oakland Unified School District, under the leadership of a new board majority and new superintendent, recently submitted a budget to the county “that is a materially stronger submission than the district has filed in recent years, (which) reflects difficult and deliberate work,” according to a letter to the district from Supt. Alysse Castro of the Alameda County Office of Education.

While OUSD still must make more budget cuts in the next two years, the district is on the road to financial health, according to a Sept. 15 letter from Castro to the district.

Under the California Education Code, Alameda County and other county offices of education (COEs) have the legal responsibility to review, approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove local school district annual budgets and interim financial reports.

“The Alameda County Office of Education wants to acknowledge that the district has submitted a budget that shows a positive fund balance, meets the state minimum reserve for economic uncertainty in each year of the multiyear project and is accompanied by a board-adopted commitment to close the remaining structural challenges,” the letter said.

“After two decades of state receivership and significant changes in OUSD’s budgeting practices,” it is understandable that there may be “considerable confusion” in the public about the district’s current financial condition, according to the letter.

However, the district’s current fiscal position and practices are “materially” better than prior years, though they “do not yet eliminate underlying structural challenges,” the letter continued.

Castro also commended the board and staff for working to get their financial house in order.

“There are three essential parts to addressing a structural deficit: staff must identify and bring

forward hard choices; the governing board must make those choices; and staff must follow

through and implement them,” she wrote.

“All three appear to be happening in OUSD, and that represents meaningful progress,” she wrote. “The district has made significant reductions to ongoing expenditures, increased its use of available restricted resources, and adopted a plan to address the remaining gap.”

According to the County, the district already has approved budget cuts of about $30 million in the current year. Additional reductions of about $30 million will be necessary next year, and another $11 million the following year.

These cuts are necessary, the county says, because “the district is still operating at a structural

deficit, meaning spending more every year than it brings in.”

In a statement released earlier this month, the district announced it had “finished the year with $170.1 million in its General Fund and an unrestricted reserve of $32.3 million, finishing $16.4 million ahead of what the district projected in March.”

The budget reflects progress toward putting the district in a stronger financial position to better serve students and families, said district leaders, while also acknowledging the need for significant reductions across the board.

“This turnaround happened because our board was willing to make difficult decisions rather than pass them along, and because our staff did the work,” said Supt. Dr. Denise Saddler. “None of this came easily, and there is more ahead of us. What these closed books show is that the direction is right.”

In October 2025, the board directed staff to prepare budget scenarios totaling $100 million in adjustments. In December, presented with a choice between borrowing to bridge the gap and making the reductions directly, the board chose the latter, the district statement said. As part of the reduction plan, the board approved cuts to more than 400 certificated and classified positions, along with a retirement incentive that converted some layoffs into voluntary departures.

“Closing our books is not the same as finishing the work, and we are not stopping here,” said Tara Gard,deputy superintendent of Business and Operations. “We will continue with the actions in our Financial Stabilization Plan because of where they lead.”

In a statement released on social media, Oakland Education Association (OEA) President

Kampala Taiz-Rancifer strongly criticized those who allege the district is collapsing and supported members of the school board majority who are working hard to stabilize the district’s finances while minimizing disruption for schools and employees.

Jennifer Brouhard (D2) and Valarie Bachelor (D6), who are running for reelection, “are moving the district toward a ‘materially stronger’ financial position than we’ve seen in recent years—all while investing in school sites and the employees who serve Oakland students,” she wrote.

“For years, we’ve heard billionaire-backed board members say they had to make ‘tough choices’ to balance the budget,” she continued. “Those choices almost always caused disruption and instability for our schools and communities. This is a different approach: financial stability alongside investments in students, schools, and workers. All in the effort to improve student outcomes.”

“The real hard work is tuning out the rage bait, the chaos agents, the attacks on unions and workers, and ignoring the loud corporate profiteers—and staying focused on what matters: improving outcomes for students while creating stable teaching and learning conditions,” said Taiz-Rancifer.

“Let’s not go backward into the days of manufactured panic.”

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Books

Oakland Mayor Reads to Children at Bookout Block Party at Marcus Books Store

Booths lined the street with arts and crafts, and children participated in hands-on art projects. A large display of books was on display and each child chose his/her free book to take home. Food and snacks were available, and free water was encouraged to keep all hydrated.

Published

6 days ago

September 22, 2026

Post News Group

(L.to R.) Cherysse Calhoun and Blanche Richardson of Marcus Books join Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee with Indya McGuffin and Bean Tupou of Storyland Collective inside the store on Sept. 12. Courtesy photo.

By Barbara Bauer, Special to The Post

Floating bubbles greeted families on arrival at the Bookout Block Party held on Sat. Sept. 12 at 39th and MLK Blvd. in Oakland.

Sponsored by Marcus Books and Storyland Collective, a wonderland of activity for children stretched to Longfellow School while live music filled the air, courtesy of KWC Complex Jazz Group.

A large area of turf was filled with huge bean bags for jumping, rolling, and sitting to listen as families crowded close to listen to Oakland Mayor Barbara Mayor Barbara Lee read a book out loud.

Of the numerous booths present were, “Claim Your Scholarship,” a program for Oakland Public School students and “VOLUNTEER NOW,” a program encouraging volunteers to help boost reading proficiency. Individuals sold their art and products. Free gifts were at many tables and a raffle was held.

The event with Marcus books culminated a summer-long program organized by Storyland Collective, a literacy arts organization bringing children’s ‘storytime,’ local authors, and art activities to Bay Area neighborhoods. Marcus Books is the oldest, independent Black-owned book store in the U.S., featuring books by and about Black people here and abroad.

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Community

Democratic Clubs Interview Candidates for Oakland School Board

OAKLAND POST — For the first time, the interviews were jointly sponsored by the John George Democratic Club, Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club, Oakland East Bay Democratic Club, Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA), Niagara Democratic Club, Block by Block Organizing Network and Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce.

Published

2 weeks ago

September 14, 2026

Post News Group

(L-R) Sylvia Williams, Mike Hutchinson, Kathryn Camp

By Ken Epstein

Local Democratic clubs and community organizations interviewed candidates running for Oakland school board in the November elections, including incumbents Jennifer Brouhard in District 2, Mike Hutchinson in District 4 and Valarie Bachelor in District 6.

For the first time, the interviews were jointly sponsored by the John George Democratic Club, Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club, Oakland East Bay Democratic Club, Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA), Niagara Democratic Club, Block by Block Organizing Network and Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce.

The Democratic clubs interviewed only registered Democrats.

John George and Wellstone endorsed Brouhard and Bachelor. Neither endorsed Hutchinson.

In District 4, Wellstone ranked Sylvia Pfeiffer Williams first and Kathryn Camp second. John George ranked Camp first and Williams second.

Hutchinson, an Oakland native and Oakland public schools graduate, highlighted his record.

“I was in board leadership and chaired the Budget and Finance Committee,” he said. “We passed balanced budgets and paid off the state loan early, which allowed us to finally leave state receivership after 22 years.”

Hutchinson said the district faces a financial crisis requiring changes in board leadership and district policies.

“We need a different majority so we can get back on track, end school closures, and manage our resources better,” he said.

Williams taught adult education in Oakland for 18 years.

Williams said her philosophy “comes from the disability justice world, to center the needs of the most vulnerable. When we center the needs of the most vulnerable, we create environments, systems, and learning experiences in which everyone can thrive.”

Williams framed potential school closures as an equity issue.

“Are we thinking about closing schools up in the hills?” she asked. “Or are we thinking about closing schools where communities are in crisis right now?”

Camp, a Bay Area native and Oakland resident of 25 years, has a son in second grade.

“Our kids are only getting one shot at a great education, and I’m running to bring pragmatic, student-centered leadership that restores trust, builds responsibility, and delivers results for every child,” she said.

On her website, Camp pledged accountability and transparency. “As a proud OUSD parent, I know our schools need more than promises – they need fiscal responsibility, equity, and meaningful action guided by long-term strategy,” she said.

“That means protecting classrooms, supporting teachers, using resources wisely, and making decisions that reflect clear priorities and real accountability,” said Camp. “It also means bringing people together and providing the kind of steady leadership that can navigate complex systems, ask hard questions, and stay grounded in what matters most: student outcomes, thriving schools, and a district that works for the communities it serves.”

Wellstone’s Education Committee said it opposed Hutchinson because he frequently challenged the board majority and superintendent.

“He also claims that the teachers’ contract is illegal that a grand jury should be called. He is not endorsed by the teachers’ union; he has been disruptive and non-collaborative at meetings,” and he has been absent 26% of the time, the committee said.

“He claims that the teachers’ contract is illegal and that a grand jury should be called,” the committee said. “He takes individual credit for accomplishments, including paying the state loan, when in fact these changes came from the work of the entire board, or were the result of following through on policy.”

Next week: District 6 school board candidates.