University of Connecticut OpenCommons@UConn Doctoral Dissertations University of Connecticut Graduate School 8-19-2020 Repairing the Teacher Pipeline for People of Color: Three Essays on Minority Teacher Scholarships Jeremy Landa University of Connecticut - Storrs, jeremy.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://opencommons.edu/dissertations Recommended Citation Landa, Jeremy, "Repairing the Teacher Pipeline for People of Color: Three Essays on Minority Teacher Scholarships" (2020).edu/dissertations/2633 Repairing the Teacher Pipeline for People of Color: Three Essays on Minority Teacher Scholarships Jeremy B. University of Connecticut, 2020 Despite near consensus agreement about the importance of increasing the presence of teachers of color in schools, there is limited research on how public policy can solve this problem. Drawing on federal and one university’s teacher education data, this dissertation addresses whether a Minority Teacher Scholarship (MTS) can alter the labor supply of teachers of color. The first essay evaluates whether five states implementing MTS programs increase the proportion of candidates of color earning teacher education bachelor’s degrees.
Using event study and difference-in-differences frameworks, I find that implementing states stabilized the share of Black candidates relative to non-implementing states, a result driven by changes in private institutions and states with the greatest financial value awards. In the second essay, I estimate whether teacher candidates of color in the same program are more likely to complete a degree if receiving MTS aid. Using linear probability and propensity score matching models, I find MTS receipt associated positively with bachelor’s and master’s degree completion for individuals who were observably similar on individual characteristics. The third essay investigates whether teacher candidates of color in the same program university respond MTS awards differentially in the labor market.
Using linear probability and discrete-time survival analysis models, I find that MTS receipt associated positively with public school teaching employment within two years of graduation, and negatively with exiting teaching in a public school for individuals of color from the same program. The three studies provide suggestive evidence that MTS programs benefit individuals and the largest group of people of color in states implementing MTS programs. Repairing the Teacher Pipeline for People of Color: Three Essays on Minority Teacher Scholarships Jeremy B., Wayne State University, 2003 Ed. University of Connecticut, 2017 A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Connecticut 2020 ii Copyright by Jeremy Benjamin Landa 2020 iii Approval Page Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation Repairing the Teacher Pipeline for People of Color: Three Essays on Minority Teacher Scholarships Presented by Jeremy B.
Dissertation Chair and Advisor_____________________________________________________ Morgaen L. Dissertation Committee __________________________________________________________ Shaun M. Dissertation Committee __________________________________________________________ Eric J. Dissertation Committee __________________________________________________________ Ann Traynor, Ed.
Kenny Nienhusser, Ed. University of Connecticut 2020 iv Dedication For Shari, who made this possible. For Oscar and George, who kept me grounded while completing work that is ostensibly maddening. For my family, near and far, whose shoulders I stood on to achieve this feat.
And for Elise. As the first-born, I thought you deserved to be the first doctor in our immediate family. v Acknowledgements I am grateful to my committee whose efforts are the reason I produced a dissertation. To Morgaen Donaldson, who made me a better writer, thinker, and was always willing to provide feedback and guidance despite her busy schedule.
To Shaun Dougherty, whose mentorship and investment in my career has persisted through his own job transition. To Eric Brunner, who responded with patience and support to numerous stream of consciousness methodological questions. To Ann Traynor, who has been an eager broker of data access and provider of practitioner insight for this work. And to Kenny Nienhusser, whose detailed and organized feedback and orientation to criticality has always made me pause and think.
Thanks to my colleagues—in particular to Monique Golden, who helped me survive the first three years of classes, and Daron Cyr, who became a regular thought partner and a provider of feedback on my dissertation writings. Thanks to Sam Kamin, whose presence ensured that I know something about statistics and can use Stata fluently. Thanks to Michael Correl, Chelsea Connery, Alex Lamb, Shannon Holder, Britney Jones, Patricia Virella, and Dave Alexandro whose feedback, cheerleading, and camaraderie sustained me when the requirements felt overwhelming. And to Shari, who took on the bulk of the childcare during the pandemic so that I could reach the finish line in this doctoral journey.
I can’t imagine having done any of this without you, and cannot wait for what the future holds. vi Table of Contents Acknowledgements. v Table of Contents. vi List of Tables.
ix List of Figures. x Chapter 1 Repairing the Teacher Pipeline for People of Color: Evidence from States Adopting Minority Teacher Scholarships. 4 The Dysfunctional Teacher Pipeline for Individuals of Color. 6 State Scholarships, Public Service, and Teacher Scholarships.
7 States’ Approaches to Scholarships. 7 State Merit Scholarships. 7 State Financial Need Scholarships. 8 Public Service and Scholarships.
9 The Outcomes of Teaching Scholarships. 12 Program Description and Context. 35 Difference-in-Differences Estimates. 38 Tests of Robustness.
46 Greatest Financial Value Scholarships. 46 Private Higher Education Institutions. 53 Discussion and Implications. 58 Financial Incentives are not Large Enough.
59 Programs are not Scaled Properly. 60 Programs are Substitutes of State Level Financial Aid Based on Merit or Need. 61 Programs are Adopted in States with Specific Racial-Ethnic Structures. Procedures for Identifying “Minority Teacher Scholarship” Program States.
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Code selection for Teachers and Nursing. 72 Chapter 2 Do Minority Teacher Scholarships Lessen Leaks in the Teacher Pipeline? Evidence Flagship University’s Traditional Teacher Education Program. 76 Teachers of Color Matter for Schooling. 78 Entry into the Teacher Pipeline for Individuals of Color.
79 The Challenges of Unobserved Selection for Identifying Causal Impacts. 92 Propensity Score Matching. 93 Alternative Matching Strategies. 96 Propensity Score Matching Estimates.
100 Remove GPA Cut-Off Years. 100 Tests of Differential Associations. 102 Differential Results by Cohort. 102 Differential Results by Pre-Teaching Major or Financial Aid Based on Need.
104 Discussion and Implications. Procedures for identifying “Minority Teacher Scholarship” Program States. Common Support and Covariate Balance. 119 Chapter 3 Minority Teacher Scholarships and Employment: A Case Study of Labor Market Outcomes from Flagship University’s Traditional Teacher Education Program.
124 Financial Aid Incentives for Teaching Service. 126 Differential Access to Teacher Labor Markets by Race/Ethnicity. 135 Data Sources and Sample. 137 Educators or Students of Color.
138 Predictor of Interest. 141 Students or Educators of Color. 149 Discrete Time Survival Analysis Models. 149 Kaplan-Meier Survival Curves.
151 Racial and Ethnic Match in Schools and MTS Status. 153 Students of Color. 153 Educators of Color. 157 Limitations, Discussion, and Implications.
172 ix List of Tables Study 1 Table 1-1. Description of Minority Teacher Scholarships (MTS) 14 Table 1-1 (Continued). Description of Minority Teacher Scholarships (MTS). Proportion of Teacher Education Bachelor's Degrees Conferred by Race/Ethnicity.
Outcomes and Covariates in Baseline Year of Data (1994-1995). Definitions of Variables. Difference-in-Differences Estimates of MTS Program Implementation. Tests of Robustness for Difference-in-Differences Estimates of MTS Program Implementation and the Proportion of Black Teacher Candidates.
Difference-in-Differences Estimates of MTS Programs Association with the Proportion of Black Teacher Candidates. Triple-Difference Estimates of MTS Programs Association with the Proportion of Black Teacher Candidates. Placebo Test for Difference-in-Differences Estimates of MTS Programs Association with the Proportion of Black Teacher or Nursing Candidates. Definitions of Variables for Study of MTS recipients.
Outcomes and Predictors by MTS Recipient Status. Linear Probability Models of MTS Relationship to Degree Attainment. OLS and Propensity Score Matching Estimates of the Relationship Between MTS Award on Recipients’ Degree Attainment. Propensity Score Matching of MTS Award on Recipients Master's Degree Attainment without GPA Selection Cut-off Years.
Differential Test of the Relationship Between MTS Receipt and Degree Attainment by Cohort. Differential Tests for Receiving Financial Aid Based on Need or Pre-Teaching Major by MTS. Propensity Score Balancing of Covariates after matching for Estimating the Relationship Between MTS receipt and Degree Attainment. Hypothesis of the role of Minority Teacher Scholarships in Observed Employment or Exit Activities from the Public Schools.
Outcomes for Teacher Candidates of Color at a Flagship University in a state with an MTS Program. Independent Variables for Teacher Candidates of Color at a Flagship University in a state with an MTS Program. Association Between MTS and Employment within 2 years of Graduation. Discrete Time Survival Analysis of the Association Between MTS and Exit from the Profession.
OLS Regression to Estimate the Association Between Students of Color and MTS Receipt. OLS Regression to Estimate the Association Between Licensed Educators of Color and MTS Receipt. State Level Financial Incentives for Pre- and In-service Teachers. Definitions of Variables for Study of Employment Outcomes for MTS recipients.
174 x List of Figures Study 1 Figure 1-1. States implementing MTS scholarships. Total teacher candidates who completed bachelor’s degrees by year. Total (a) teacher candidates of color, (b) Black, non-Hispanic candidates, (c) Hispanic candidates, and (d) Asian, Native American, Pacific Islander, or multi-race candidates who completed bachelor’s degrees by year.
Proportion of (a) teacher candidates of color, (b) Black, non-Hispanic candidates, (c) Hispanic candidates, and (d) Asian, Native American, Pacific Islander, or multi-race candidates who completed bachelor’s degrees by whether the state ever implemented an MTS program. Event study measuring the proportion of (a) teacher candidates of color, (b) Black, non-Hispanic candidates, (c) Hispanic candidates, and (d) Asian, Native American, Pacific Islander, or multi-race candidates who completed bachelor’s degrees before and after MTS implementation. Event study for the proportion of Black, non-Hispanic candidates who completed bachelor’s degrees in (a) the states with the larger financial value scholarships, and (b) states with smaller financial value scholarship in states implementing an MTS. Event study showing the difference between public and private schooling institutions by the proportion of Black, non-Hispanic candidates who completed bachelor’s degrees in states with MTS programs.
Event study showing the proportion of Black, non-Hispanic candidates who completed (a) teacher education or (b) nursing bachelor’s degrees in states implementing MTS programs. Comparison of Unmatched and Matched Kernel Density Histograms 119 Study 3 Figure 3-1. Kaplan-Meier survival curves for exit by MTS status from the public schools from year 1 to year 12 for all master’s degree earning teacher education majors who are individuals of color from the same university’s teacher education program. 152 1 Chapter 1 Repairing the Teacher Pipeline for People of Color: Evidence from States Adopting Minority Teacher Scholarships Over the last 35 years, each state in the U.
has become more racially and ethnically diverse (Lee et al. The racial and ethnic population changes are mirrored by changes within the public schools. The National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data shows that across the 50 states and DC, 10,247 local education agencies served an average of 16.9% more students of color in 2018 than in 1988.1 Despite large shifts in students’ racial and ethnic characteristics, the number of teachers of color increased across the country only 8% over a similar time frame (U. Department of Education, 2016).
This suggests, and research confirms, that the system is inequitably designed resulting in differential recruitment into and retention within the teacher pipeline by race and ethnicity of individuals (Lindsay et al. Governments play a major role in solving the underrepresentation of teachers of color in public schools. State governments regulate which programs become teacher preparation providers and the credentials necessary for individuals to become teachers from within different pathways.