REPORT: Black Students More Likely To Get Inexperienced Teachers

How many of the parents out there could have called this one?

According to a new report, data shows that students of color are more likely to have less experienced and less effective teachers. Colorlines reports:

The Center for American Progress issued a report on Friday that confirms that low-income students of color not only have less experienced teachers, but also less effective teachers.

The study analyzes teacher evaluation scores in low-income and affluent districts in both Massachusetts and Louisiana.

In Louisiana, a student within a school at the highest-poverty quartile is almost three times as likely to be taught by a teacher rated “ineffective” as a student in a school in the lowest-poverty quartile. And in Massachusetts, students in high-poverty schools are three times as likely to be taught by a teacher rated “unsatisfactory” than students in low-poverty schools.

A second report indicates the root cause is an unequal distribution of teachers. While No Child Left Behind previously asked states to devise plans to ensure equitable distribution, subsequent waivers gave states the flexibility to deviate from those requirements.

“Poor students and students of color are less likely to get well-qualified or high-achieving teachers than students from higher-income families or students who are white,” says the report. Read more.

With all of the talk around the achievement gap and the academic performance of students of color, the report sheds light on an important factor in the equation: the quality of their teachers. Tuesday, Roland Martin and the “NewsOne Now” panel discussed the report and its implications.

Be sure to listen to “NewsOne Now” with Roland Martin, weekdays at 7 a.m. EST and watch at 9 a.m. EST on TV One.