THE ROLE OF ETHNIC/RACIAL CLASSROOM DYNAMICS IN THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT

In the U.S., ethnic and racial disparities in education persist throughout K-12 education. Empirical research has linked classroom ethnic/racial structures and achievement, and the learning environment and achievement. However, few studies have considered the complex manner in which ethnicity/race may interact with the learning environment and its relation to student success across diverse groups. The current study investigated the role that ethnic/racial congruence between the student, teacher, and classroom could have on the learning environment and mathematics achievement. A multilevel regression approach examined if these factors predicted academic achievement. Secondary data were from The National Center for Teacher Effectiveness, collected between 2010-2013. This study drew from a purposeful sample of 1,851 fourth-grade mathematics students from diverse groups. It relied on a combination of student, teacher, and classroom data collected through administrative records, questionnaires, and surveys. Results indicated that: 1) student perceived conflict with teacher, 2) teacher beliefs about their students’ math ability, 3) ethnic/racial congruency between a student and their classroom, and 4) ethnic/racial similarities between a teacher and their classroom significantly predicted better math test scores. However, ethnic/racial congruency between a student and their teacher was negatively related to math test scores. Additionally, when a student and their teacher were ethnically/racially congruent, there was more conflict and worse math achievement. These findings are aligned with prior work, highlighting that ethnic/racial classroom dynamics are related to the learning environment, and achievement