Middle and high school students could see more benefits. Previous research is mixed and inconclusive. TO analysis 2007 by Stanford professor Thomas Dee found academic benefits for eighth grade boys and girls when taught by teachers of the same gender. And studies in which researchers observe and interview small numbers of students often show how students feel more supported by teachers of the same sex. However, many quantitative studies, such as this most recent one, have failed to detect measurable benefits for children. At least 10 since 2014 have found no or minimal effects. The benefits for girls are more consistent.
This latest study, “Fixed Effects Estimates of Teacher-Student Gender Matching During Elementary School,” is a working paper that has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.* Morgan and co-author Eric Hu, a research scientist in Albany, shared a draft with me.
Morgan and Hu analyzed a data set from the U.S. Department of Education that followed a nationally representative group of 8,000 students from kindergarten in 2010 to fifth grade in 2017. Half were boys and half were girls.
More than two-thirds (68 percent) of the 4,000 children never had a male teacher in those years, while 32 percent had at least one. (The study focused only on the main classroom teachers, not extras like gymnastics or music.)
Among the 1,300 children who had male and female teachers, the researchers compared each child’s performance and behavior over those years. For example, if Jacob had female teachers in kindergarten, first, second, and fifth grade, but male teachers in third and fourth grade, his average scores and behavior were compared between teachers of different genders.
The researchers found no differences in achievement in reading, math or science, or on social and behavioral measures. Teachers rated students on traits such as impulsivity, cooperation, anxiety, empathy and self-control. The children also took annual executive function tests. The results did not vary depending on the gender of the teacher.
Most studies on male teachers focus on older students. The authors looked at another elementary-level study, in Florida, that also found no academic benefit for children. This new research confirms that finding and adds that there appear to be no social or behavioral benefits either.
For students at these young ages, ages 11 and younger, the researchers also found no academic benefits for girls with teachers. But there were two non-academics: Girls taught by women showed stronger interpersonal skills (getting along, helping others, caring about feelings) and greater enthusiasm for learning (represented by skills like staying organized and following rules).
When the researchers combined race and gender, the results became more complex. Black girls taught by Black women scored higher on a test of executive function, but worse in science. Asian children taught by Asian men had higher scores on executive function, but lower scores on interpersonal skills. Black children showed no measurable differences when taught by black male teachers. (Previous research has sometimes benefits found for black students taught by black teachers and sometimes it hasn’t.)**
Even if the data does not show academic or behavioral benefits for students, there may still be compelling reasons to diversify the teaching workforce, as in other professions. But we should not expect these efforts to influence student outcomes.
“If you were strapped for resources and you were trying to place your bets,” Morgan said, “then, based on this study, maybe elementary school is not where you should focus your recruiting efforts” to hire more men.
To paraphrase Boyz II Men, it’s very hard to say goodbye to the idea that boys need male teachers.
*Clarification: The article has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, but has undergone some peer review.
**Correction: An earlier version incorrectly characterized how researchers analyzed what happened to students of different races. The researchers focused only on the gender of the teachers, but dug deeper to see how students of different races responded to teachers of different genders.
This story about male teachers was produced by The Hechinger Reportan independent, nonprofit news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Enroll in Test points and others Hechinger Newsletters.
