Representation for Exceptional Children: Student–Teacher Ethnoracial Matching for Students With Disabilities

Numerous prior studies have asked how students of color fare when matched with a teacher who shares their racial or ethnic background. Unfortunately, almost nothing is known about how this plays out for students with disabilities (SWD). Using student-level longitudinal data for Massachusetts public school students in Grades 3–12 between 2011 and 2018, we examine math and ELA test scores, attendance, suspension, and graduation data for SWDs who experience an ethnoracial match. We estimate impacts for the overall SWD population in addition to breaking out subgroups defined by race/ethnicity, low-income status, grade level, and school demographic context. We find primarily null effects, with some exceptions that are small in magnitude. For example, Black and low-income SWDs score higher in math in years when they experience an ethnoracial teacher match (0.01 SD). We also observe minor improvements in school attendance (less than one additional day) for low-income SWDs, those with a Specific Learning Disability, SWDs in the elementary grades; and SWDs in small schools. SWDs’ likelihood of receiving a suspension or graduating from high school is unaffected by an ethnoracial match. We discuss the implications of our findings and offer policy recommendations.