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Dynamics between student teacher ethnicity and the practices of culturally plural curricula seeks to improve student performance and strives to minimize the achievement gap. This quantitative study explored whether there was a significant difference in the North Carolina Final Exam history-social science test performance between (a) African American and Hispanic students taught by a teacher from a different ethnic makeup and (b) African American and Hispanic students taught by a teacher from a similar ethnic makeup in 8th grade of social science classes. Student's performance is a key factor in evaluating the credibility of a school which is crucial to all stakeholders. The theoretical framework for this study centered around Tillmans' theory of culturally sensitive education which focused on variations of academic achievement based on student's engagements with teachers who share their cultural background or teachers who teach curricula that reflects their own cultures. Data were collected from a purposeful sampling of depersonalized archival records of 2,000 8th grade African American and Hispanic students who took the North Carolina Final Exam for Social Sciences. Data were analyzed using causal-comparative approach and focused on the fixed factor of race with 3 covariates and teacher race as the dependent variable. Results indicated that there was a significant difference in the students performance depending on the ethnicity of their teacher. Students with a teacher of their ethnic background, performed better compared to having a teacher from a different ethnic background. This study contributes to social change through the understanding of how teacher diversity and the need for relational teaching can promote greater academic achievement within their classrooms.

Recent events- including the overlapping pandemics of hyper-visible racism, policebrutality, economic downturn, climate crises, and the Covid-19 virus- have reified the significance of teacher diversity to counter structural inequalities in education. Of particular concern are low-income urban schools. While greater teacher diversity exists in urban schools, Black teachers - and Black women in particular- experience high turnover compared to their white and male counterparts. Through a contextual analysis of Black women teachers, the purpose of this study was to explore intersectionality and identity negotiation by investigating whether professional experiences and decisionmaking were moderated by ethno-racial and gender identities. Multiple sources of data were collected regarding eight self-identified Black women of the African diaspora with at least two years of experience in urban schools. Analysis of demographic surveys, open-ended responses, and three rounds of semi-structured interviews yielded ten themes: 1) supplementing curriculum with counter-narratives and role models, 2) facilitating conversations about race-related current events, 3) teaching the truth about American history, 4) guiding students to navigate a racialized society, 5) experiencing microaggressions in interracial interactions, 6) disengaging from diversity initiatives, 7) participating in supportive intra-racial relationships, 8) avoiding gendered racial stereotypes, 9) pursuing desired ends, and 10) redefining professionalism. The result of this study adds to the research base regarding intersectionality and identity negotiation as factors influencing teachers of color in urban schools. Additional recommendations are also given to guide research, practice, and policy. / Policy, Organizational and Leadership Studies