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New study finds racial discrepancies in teacher communications

A new study on parent-teacher communications found sharp contrasts in how teachers communicate with parents from different ethnic, racial and immigrant backgrounds.

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Third-grade teacher Liliana Kendrick prepares for her second year teaching in a portable classroom at Whitestone Elementary School in Leander on Aug. 21, 2014.
Credit: Charlie Pearce

A new study on parent-teacher communications found sharp contrasts in when and how math and English teachers communicate with parents from different ethnic, racial and immigrant backgrounds. The study found that teachers used a student’s race, ethnicity and immigrant status as the deciding factor on whether to contact a parent or guardian about three key areas: homework completion, disruptive behavior in class and student accomplishments. (The Atlantic)

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