Connectedness and Expectations: How minority teachers can improve educational outcomes for minority students

Research in the field of representative bureaucracy provides evidence that the presence of minority teachers can improve educational outcomes for minority students. We test two possible mechanisms by examining if the presence of minority teachers increases how ‘connected’ minority students feel to their school and the student's educational aspirations. Previous research has established a strong link between both of these factors and educational and non-educational outcomes. We find that increasing representation of African American and Latino/a teachers increases educational expectations for African American students, while increasing representation of Latino/a teachers increases school connectedness and educational expectations for Latino/a students.