Analysis of federal education data highlights disparities in
experience by gender and race
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK,
N.C., May 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report
from RTI International, a nonprofit research institute, has
found that pre-K-12 teachers worked more than desired during the
COVID-19 pandemic at higher rates than non-teachers. The report
also reveals sharp disparities in the experiences of female, Black
and Hispanic teachers during COVID-19.
"While we already knew teachers really struggled
during COVID-19, our paper shows that the burden was not equally
shared," said Erin Dunlop
Velez, Ph.D., a director of education research at RTI
who led the analysis.
The findings revealed that teachers reported
working more than desired due to the pandemic at higher rates than
non-teachers (31% vs. 26%). Teachers also pursued additional
training due to the pandemic at higher rates than non-teachers (19%
vs. 13%). The longer hours and additional training may have been to
learn how to provide remote instruction and navigate increased
student and administrative demands, Velez and her co-authors
note.
Additionally, the data showed that teachers were
more likely than non-teachers to postpone having children (10% vs.
7%) and to delay enrolling in additional education (19% vs. 12%)
due to the pandemic.
The research team also uncovered various gender and racial
disparities within the profession:
- Compared to male teachers, female teachers reported working
more than desired at higher rates (33% vs. 24%), were more likely
to delay enrolling in additional education (20% vs. 14%), and
reported taking on additional care responsibilities for children
and other family members at higher rates (16% vs. 11%).
- Black teachers were more likely than White teachers to pursue
additional training during the pandemic (27% vs. 18%) and to report
having more difficulty affording essential expenses (22% vs.
8%).
- Hispanic or Latinx teachers were more likely than White
teachers to delay enrolling in additional education during the
pandemic (27% vs. 15%), delay having children (20% vs. 7%), report
taking on additional care responsibilities for children and other
family members (20% vs. 13%) and report having difficulty affording
essential expenses (14% vs. 8%).
Velez and her colleagues write that these
findings "might be related to the disproportionate numbers of Black
and Hispanic teachers serving school districts with fewer
resources…as well as racial inequities in the teacher labor market
disparities that were likely exacerbated by the COVID-19
pandemic."
To produce the report, the research team used
data from the U.S. Department of Education's
2016/20 Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study,
which surveyed a nationally representative sample of bachelor's
degree completers during their final year of undergraduate
enrollment (as part of the National Postsecondary Student
Aid Study) and one and four years after graduation.
Read the full report
Learn more about RTI's education and workforce
development research
About RTI International
RTI
International is an independent, nonprofit research institute
dedicated to improving the human condition. Clients rely on us to
answer questions that demand an objective and multidisciplinary
approach — one that integrates expertise across the social and
laboratory sciences, engineering and international development. We
believe in the promise of science, and we are inspired every day to
deliver on that promise for the good of people, communities and
businesses around the world. For more information,
visit www.rti.org.
Media Contact:
RTI Media Relations
919-708-8205
377118@email4pr.com
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SOURCE RTI International