Why Principals Matter: Exploring The Research On School Leadership. School Leadership Brief_18P429_digital_FINAL | Page 7

an important role in recruiting and hiring
teachers of color. Researchers using data
from Tennessee and Missouri have shown
that principals of color tended to recruit
and retain more teachers of color. In the
study, a black principal was also more
likely than a white principal to hire a black
teacher. Additionally, having a same-race
principal decreased the chances that a
teacher left the school. 16
Figure 2
DIFFERENCES IN RACIAL DIVERSITY
BETWEEN TENNESSEE STUDENTS
AND PRINCIPALS
Black Principals Are Under-Represented In Tennessee.
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
White
Students
Black
Principals
Source: Principal data from Grissom and Bartanen, “School Principal Race and The Hiring and Retention of
Racially Diverse Teachers.” Hispanic principals not reported due to low number of responses. Student data from
2016-17, Tennessee Report Card.
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