Olivia Chi, Assistant Professor, Boston University
Covid-19 and the Composition of the Massachusetts Teacher Workforce
The COVID-19 crisis has created unprecedented disruption for school systems, educators, and the students they serve. Pandemic-related challenges in schools have the potential to alter both the supply of and demand for teachers. We examine the extent to which the composition of the teacher workforce changed in Massachusetts during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, comparing data from the 2020-2021 year to historical data. We find that overall teacher turnover in Massachusetts has remained stable over the last 5 years. We also find that, compared to prior years, turnover decreased among early-career teachers, Black and Hispanic/Latinx teachers, and teachers in schools serving high concentrations of economically disadvantaged students. Finally, we document that racial and ethnic diversity among newly hired teachers increased in recent years, a trend which continued into the fall of 2020.