Jasmyn Harrington
Mentor
Dr. Katrina Sanders
Participation year
2010
Project title
Lowering High School Drop-Out Rates: Does Teacher's Race Matter
Abstract
This study examines student drop-out rates and teacher's race in four Iowa school districts. Numbers show that African American and Latino students drop-out at higher rates than white and other minority students. This study explores why non-white students are dropping out at alarming numbers and how school districts can address this issue. This exploration suggests that the extant literature about the importance of non-white teachers for non-white students is applicable to Iowa. This study supports previous scholarship demonstrating the importance of non-white teachers for non-white students and provides evidence that the state of Iowa should actively seek to hire more non-white teachers in order to decrease the drop-out rates among non-white students.