Campus Teacher Characteristics and Outcomes for Black and Hispanic Students - Research Brief - August 2023

Oct 15, 2026

Research Brief for the Houston Independent School District (HISD) examines how campus-level teacher qualifications relate to academic and behavioral outcomes for Black and Hispanic students across the 2018–19 and 2019–20 school years. Teacher qualifications include advanced degrees, education-specific backgrounds, special education (SPED) and ESL/bilingual certifications, and above-district-average teaching experience. Findings link higher achievement, lower absenteeism, and fewer disciplinary referrals to specific qualification patterns—especially experienced teachers and teachers with formal education backgrounds.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Key Findings

Achievement

Absenteeism

Discipline

Background

Teacher Qualifications and Student Outcomes

Research Questions

Data and Methods

Building Better Cities Building Better Lives Campus Teacher Characteristics and Outcomes for Black and Hispanic Students Tori Thomas, Ph. D., Gabriela Sánchez-Soto, Ph. D. Research Brief for the Houston Independent School District August 2023 Suggested citation. Thomas, T.& Sánchez-Soto, G. Achieving Equity in Access to Qualified Teachers in HISD. (2023) . Houston, TX: Houston Education Research Consortium, Kinder Institute for Urban Research, Rice University. About HERC. Focusing on the most pressing challenges facing the region, the Houston Education Research Consortium (HERC) is a research-practice partnership between Rice University and 11 Houston-area school districts. HERC research is developed directly alongside district leaders with findings shared with decision-makers—culminating in long-term, equity-minded solutions, opportunities and growth for Houston and beyond. [DOI: doi.org/10.25611/JNK0-ZT31](DOI: doi.org/10.25611/JNK0-ZT31) Research Brief Campus Teacher Characteristics and Outcomes for Black and Hispanic Students This study investigates how teacher to achievement, absenteeism, and qualifications at the campus level were related discipline outcomes for Black and Hispanic students in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) during the 2018–19 and 2019–20 school years. Campus-level teacher qualifications included shares of advanced degrees, formal backgrounds in education, certifications in special education (SPED), certifications in English as a Second Language/Bilingual Education (ESL), and above-district-average years of teaching experience. Some qualifications were related to different outcomes for Black and Hispanic students, but overall, campuslevel teacher qualifications were related to higher achievement, lower absenteeism, and lower disciplinary referrals for both racial/ethnic groups in HISD. Key Findings Achievement ▪ Attending a school with high shares of teachers with a formal background in education was related to higher achievement for Black and Hispanic students. Absenteeism ▪ Attending a school with more experienced teachers was related to lower absenteeism for Black and Hispanic students. Discipline ▪ Attending a school with more experienced teachers was related to lower disciplinary rates for Black and Hispanic students. Campus Teacher Characteristics and Outcomes for Black and Hispanic Students ~~ ~~1~~ ~~ Background Distribution of Teacher Qualifications across HISD Campuses For a previous brief, HERC researchers examined how teacher qualifications were distributed across HISD campuses based on student race/ethnicity (among other student characteristics), specifically, Black and Hispanic students. Teachers at schools with higher shares of Black students had more teachers with advanced degrees but had below-average years of teaching experience. Teachers at schools with higher shares of Hispanic students had above-average years of teaching experience, but fewer teachers with advanced degrees. An important follow-up question from the previous brief was how teacher qualfications may have been related to HISD students’ academic and behavioral outcomes. This brief examines how particular teacher qualifications may be related to Hispanic and Black students’ academic and behaivoral outcomes. Teacher Qualificationsand Student Outcomes Educational practioners and researchers agree that teacher qualifications are key determinants for favorable student outcomes (Darling-Hammond & Youngs 2002; Goe 2007) . Influential qualifications are often those that are related to teachers’ training and experience. This study focuses on the following teacher qualifications as it relates to students’ academic and behavioral outcomes: advanced degrees, formal background (major/minor) in education, certifications, and years of teaching experience. Even though there are inconsistencies, previous work has strongly suggested teacher qualifications are favorably re

FAQs

Which teacher qualifications are analyzed at the HISD campus level?

The study examines shares of advanced degrees, formal education backgrounds, SPED certifications, ESL/bilingual certifications, and above-district-average years of teaching experience.

How do teacher qualifications relate to achievement for Black and Hispanic students?

Attending a school with high shares of teachers with a formal background in education is associated with higher achievement for both groups.

What relationships are reported for absenteeism and discipline?

Attending a school with more experienced teachers is associated with lower absenteeism and lower disciplinary rates for Black and Hispanic students.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Sophia Brooks