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A community college instructor like me: Race and ethnicity interactions in the classroom

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  • Fairlie, Robert

Abstract

Administrative data from a large and diverse community college are used to examine if underrepresented minority students benefit from taking courses with underrepresented minority instructors. To identify racial interactions we estimate models that include both student and classroom fixed effects and focus on students with limited choice in courses. We find that the performance gap in terms of class dropout rates and grade performance between white and underrepresented minority students falls by 20 to 50 percent when taught by an underrepresented minority instructor. We also find these interactions affect longer term outcomes such as subsequent course selection, retention, and degree completion.

Suggested Citation

  • Fairlie, Robert, 2014. "A community college instructor like me: Race and ethnicity interactions in the classroom," Santa Cruz Department of Economics, Working Paper Series qt1pd995t5, Department of Economics, UC Santa Cruz.
    • Handle: RePEc:cdl:ucscec:qt1pd995t5
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Social and Behavioral Sciences; minority; college; community college; affirmative action; diversity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality

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