News & Events
December 2, 2019
For Media Inquiries, Contact Melanie Rucinski 617-780-1206 or Joshua Goodman (781) 736-2283
Rappaport Institute Studies Racial Diversity in Massachusetts Teachers
In a policy brief released today, the Rappaport Institute studies racial diversity at various stages of Massachusetts’ teacher development pipeline. The brief, entitled “Racial Diversity in the Teacher Pipeline: Evidence from Massachusetts”, shows that the lack of diversity in the Massachusetts teacher workforce largely stems from early stages of the teacher development pipeline and suggests that a stronger focus on diversifying the initial pool of licensure exam takers and improving pass rates on the exam might decrease this gap.
This paper shows that licensure exam takers and passers are substantially less diverse than the college-enrolled population, but among those who pass the exam there are few racial differences in rates of initial teaching employment or retention.
The policy brief was authored by Melanie Rucinski of the Harvard Kennedy School and Professor Joshua Goodman of Brandeis University.
About the Authors
Melanie Rucinski is a doctoral student in public policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Her research focuses on teacher labor markets and addressing racial and socioeconomic gaps in educational systems. Joshua Goodman is Associate Professor of Economics at Brandeis University, where he works as an applied microeconomist on labor economics and education policy. His research focuses on quasi-experimental estimation of the impacts of educational interventions. Prior to joining Brandeis, he was an Associate Professor of Public Policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
About the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston
The Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government strives to improve the region’s governance by attracting young people to serve the region, working with scholars to produce new ideas about important issues, and stimulating informed discussions that bring together scholars, policymakers, and civic leaders. The Rappaport Institute was founded and funded by the Phyllis and Jerome Lyle Rappaport Foundation, which promotes emerging leaders in Greater Boston.