Disappearing Diversity and the Probability of Hiring a Non-White Teacher: An Analysis of Principals' Hiring Patterns in Predominantly White Schools.

This study examines how the racial composition of a school's student body influences principals' likelihood of hiring teachers of color, using a Texas administrative dataset spanning 2000–2017 with over 59,000 principal observations and nearly 663,000 teacher hires. Findings indicate that as the proportion of White students in a school increases, principals—particularly White principals—are less likely to hire teachers of color, though principals of color are more likely to hire teachers of color regardless of student demographics. The research highlights that student body homogeneity is a significant contextual factor affecting teacher workforce diversity and suggests that policies and practices aimed at diversifying educators should consider the racial makeup of student populations. Limitations include the inability to assess candidate pools or teacher qualifications, and the study calls for further research on how student demographics interact with hiring decisions across different locales and principal races.