White Teachers Are Leaving Predominantly Black Schools In Georgia
at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

A New Report Shows Racial Gap Widening Between Teachers and Their Choice of Schools

CONTACT:
Dr. Ben Scafidi, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, 404-651-2977
Lee Echols, The Echols Group, 404-815-2081
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ATLANTA, November 11, 2002 -- A new study finds that teacher turnover rates in Georgia public schools are dramatically influenced by black-white segregation, a dynamic whose influence has been growing rather than diminishing. In their just-released "Racial Segregation in Georgia Public Schools, 1994-2001: Trends, Causes and Impact on Teacher Quality," co-authors Catherine Freeman, Ben Scafidi, and David Sjoquist of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies found that nearly one-third of Georgia's white teachers left the predominantly black schools in which they taught.

View the study (pdf) at www.andrewyoungschool.org.

"The differences in teacher turnover across school racial categories are immense and have increased over time," stated the co-authors in the study. "In particular, white teachers are much more likely to leave schools that serve higher proportions of black students. Teachers who changed schools moved to schools that served lower proportions of black students and low-income students, and (to schools with) students that scored higher on achievement exams."

This teacher turnover has a direct relation to teacher quality. "A high turnover rate often means less experienced teachers at a school," said Scafidi, an assistant professor of economics and public administration and urban studies at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. "More importantly, schools with a large number of teaching positions to fill can't be as selective when it comes to hiring." He said that these teacher disparities might pose additional challenges as Georgia educators seek greater educational opportunities for black students.

While close to one-third of white teachers leave predominantly black schools each year, researchers found no similar trend for black teachers. "A possible consequence of black-white segregation is that schools that serve black students may have more difficulty attracting teachers, which could have a negative impact on overall educational programs," said Sjoquist, professor of economics and director of the Andrew Young School's Fiscal Research Program and Domestic Programs. "However, black teachers seemed to have more attachment to schools that serve higher proportions of black students."

Among other findings in the study:

• Students in schools with larger proportions of black students are much less likely to have white teachers. For example, students in schools with more than 70 percent black students had about a 40 percent chance of having a white teacher.
• Public schools in Georgia experienced a small increase in black-white segregation in recent years. The percentage of students who attended schools with greater than 70 percent black students increased from 17.7 percent in 1994-95 to 19.1 percent in 2000-01.
• Statewide, most of the segregation between schools is due to segregation across school districts. The highest segregation between schools is within metropolitan Atlanta.

Sjoquist and Scafidi said that their study does not explain the reasons why white teachers are leaving black schools. Nor does it offer any evidence that teacher segregation has an effect on school performance.

The study used recent data on all Georgia public schools in the 180 school districts in the state. More than 80 percent of Georgia's public school teachers are white.

For more information about the study, "Racial Segregation in Georgia Public Schools, 1994-2001: Trends, Causes and Impact on Teacher Quality," contact Catherine Freeman at 404-651-0517, Ben Scafidi at 404-651-2977 or David Sjoquist at 404-651-3995.

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