Education

Study of Fairfax County

schools nds discrimination
against black teacher
applicants
By T. Rees Shapiro and Moriah Balingit May 4

BlackapplicantsforFairfaxCountyteachingpositionsinarecentschoolyearwerefarlesslikelythanwhitecandidatestoget
jobofferseventhoughtheyhadonaveragemoreadvanceddegreesandclassroomexperience,accordingtoanewstudythatis
drawingintensescrutinywithintheschoolsystem.

GeorgeMasonUniversityresearchers,whoconductedthestudypublishedinthespringissueofHarvardEducationalReview,
didnotidentifytheschoolsystemtheywerewritingabout.ButcurrentandformerofficialsinFairfaxCountyPublicSchools
confirmedthatthesubjectofthestudyisthe188,000studentdistrict,largestintheWashingtonregionandknownnationally
asanacademicpowerhouse.Fairfaxwasidentifiedafterthearticlewaspublishedandthefindingstriggeredconcernaboutthe
systemshiringpractices.

Thestudyassertsthatracialbiasinhiringmaybecontributingtothepersistentdearthofblackteachersinpubliceducation,a
problemthathaslongbeenpinnedonalackofqualifiedapplicantsandinterest.Theimbalancecanhavetangibleeffectsinthe
classroom.Otherresearchershavefoundthatblackstudentsfromlowincomefamiliesaremorelikelytograduateiftheyhave
atleastoneblackteacherandthatblackteachersaremorelikelytoidentifygiftedstudentsofcolor.

GMUresearchersexamining2012jobapplicationdatafortheschoolsystemfoundthatblackapplicantshadslightlylower
passratesonascreeningtestbutsomewhatmoreextensiveacademiccredentialsandworkexperiencethantheirwhite
counterparts.Onpaper,theresearcherssaid,theblackandwhitecandidatesseemedtohavecomparablequalifications.

Nevertheless,thestudyfoundwhatresearchersbelieveisevidenceofdiscrimination:Whileblackcandidatesmadeup13
percentoftheapplicantpool,theyreceived6percentofjoboffersthatyear.Whitesaccountedfor70percentofapplications
andreceived77percentofjoboffers.
Discriminationisapowerfulwordandonethatisoftenavoidedbecauseofwhatitconnotes,authorsDianaDAmico,Robert
J.Pawlewicz,PenelopeM.EarleyandAdamP.McGeehanwroteinthearticle.Inthisdistrict,blackapplicants,thoughhaving
manyattributessimilartotheirwhitecounterparts,encounteredasignificantlylowerlikelihoodofbeingofferedajob,
replicatingdiscriminatoryemploymentpatternsdocumentedacrossarangeofindustries.Thedatapointedtodiscrimination
intheteacherlabormarket,theywroteaproblemthatoneoftheauthorssaidinaninterviewlikelyextendstonumerous
schoolsystems.

Theresearchersalsofoundthatwhenblackapplicantsdidgetjoboffers,theyweremorelikelytoendupinschoolswithlarge
populationsofminoritystudentsandhighlevelsofpoverty.Theysaiditwasevidenceofworkforcesegregation.

Thestudydidnotexaminehowcandidatesdidinjobinterviewsorotherfacetofacesituationscrucialtothehiringprocess.

FairfaxCountyPublicSchoolssaidinastatementthatithasimproveditshiringpracticessince2012andraisedthenumberof
minorityteachersinitsworkforce,from16percentin2012to18percentfouryearslater.Morethan28percentofteachers
hiredthisschoolyearareminorities,officialssaid,buttheydidnotsaywhatshareareblack.

FCPSwasnotprovidedanopportunitytoreviewthisstudyandwecannotconfirmthevalidityoftheconclusionsofthisstudy
basedupondatafromfiveyearsago,thestatementemailedfromschoolsspokesmanJohnTorresaid.Asageneralmatter,
overthepastseveralyears,FCPShasmademeasurableandsignificantimprovementsinitshiring.

Thedistrictsaidtheshareofblackadministratorsandteachersisinlinewithourblackstudentpopulation.

About10percentofFairfaxstudentsareblack,officialssaid,whileabout7percentofteachersand16percentofschoolbased
administratorsareblack.Thedistrictdeclinedtoprovidedataonhowmanyteachersin2012wereblack.

Schoolsystemofficialsdeclinedrequestsforinterviewswithschooladministratorsandteachersaboutthestudysfindingsand
theirhiringpractices.InterimsuperintendentSteveLockarddidnotrespondThursdaymorningtoarequestforcomment.
KarenGarza,whowassuperintendentfrom2013to2016,didnotrespondtomessagesseekingcomment.

JackD.Dale,superintendentfrom2004to2013,saidinaphoneinterviewWednesdaythathewasunawareofthestudyorits
findings.Whilehewassuperintendent,Dalesaid,ourgoalwastotryandfigureouthowtohirethebestpeopleinour
applicantpool,andthatwasthestandardoperatingprocedureatthattime.

OneAfricanAmericanteacheratMountVernonHighSchool,insouthernFairfaxCounty,saidthestudywasdisheartening.

Itsjustdisturbing.Its2017.Weshouldhavemovedpastthis,saidthewoman,whospokeontheconditionofanonymity
becauseshedidnothavepermissiontospeaktothemedia.Itshouldntcomedowntorace.Iftheyhaveahigherdegreeand
moreexperience,thatswhattranslatesintheclassroom,notskincolor.
MountVernonHighservesalargenumberoflowincomefamilies.Theteachersaiditisunfairandunwisetosteerblack
applicantsdisproportionatelytohighpovertyschoolsbecauseofthechallengesinherentinworkingatthoseschools,suchas
lowerlevelsofparentalinvolvement.

Youdefinitelyhavetohavetheheartforit,becauseitseasytoburnout,shesaid.Youdealwithalotofthingsthatother
schoolsdonthavetodealwith.

OnMonday,anadvisorygroupinFairfaxcalledtheMinorityStudentAchievementOversightCommitteesentalettertothe
schoolboardaboutthebiasclaimsintheGMUstudy.Theletterurgedtheboardtohireanindependentoutsidecounselto
fullyinvestigatethefindingsregardingallegeddiscriminatoryhiringpracticesbyFCPScontainedinthestudyconductedby
GeorgeMasonUniversityprofessorsandpublishedintheSpring2017HarvardEducationalReview.

Thecommitteeisappointedbytheboardtoofferadviceonstepstoimprovetestscoresandgraduationratesforminority
students.

ThecommitteeletterandGMUstudyresultscomeastheschoolboardisinthemidstofahighstakessuperintendentsearch
followingtheresignationofGarzainSeptember.

FairfaxCountyPublicSchoolsishardlytheonlyhighperformingsystemtofacediversitychallenges.IntheMontgomery
CountyschoolsofsuburbanMaryland,about12percentofteachersand21percentofstudentsareblack.Nationally,theshare
ofschoolagechildrenwhoareblackismorethan15percent,thestudysaid,citingcensusdata,while8percentofteachersare
black.

Schoolshaveworkedharderinrecentyearstorecruitmoreminorityeducators,butofficialsoftensaytheyareunabletofind
enoughqualifiedapplicants.TheGMUstudysuggeststhatschoolsystemseventhosewithrobustrecruitingeffortscould
becontributingtotheproblem.

TheresearchersalsolookedatdataonHispanicandAsianteacherapplicantsandfoundnoevidencethattheyweresubjectto
hiringdiscrimination.Thesituationwithblackapplicants,researcherswrote,wasstarklydifferent.

DAmico,anassistantprofessorofeducation,saidthesignsofhiringbiastheauthorsfoundarenotuniquetotheschool
systemtheyanalyzed.

Itshappeninginthisdistrictthatwestudy,butitsprobablyhappeninginloadsofotherplaces,DAmicosaid.Thisdistrictis
evocativebutnotexceptional.

Thestudyexaminedhiringanddemographicdata,buttherewasnoinformationtoassesshowcandidatescameacrossin
personwhenmeetingwithprincipals.
EricHanushek,aseniorfellowattheHooverInstitutionatStanfordUniversitywhostudiesteachereffectiveness,saidthe
studyofferedsuggestivebutnotconclusiveevidenceofraciallybasedhiring.Hesaidthatresearcherscouldnotjudgehowa
candidateperformedinanintervieworduringasessionofpracticeteaching.Hesaidthatresearchhasnotfoundthatadvanced
degreesorevenpriorexperiencenecessarilysignalthatateacherwillbemoreeffective.

Wecanteasilyjustlookatwhatsontheemploymentapplicationanddecidewhetheritsdiscriminatory,Hanusheksaid.But
hesaidthesubjectwarrantsfurtherinvestigation.

Ithinkthatwehavetobeconcernedaboutracialdiscriminationinourpublicschoolsbecausewehavea50yearhistoryof
tryingtorecoverfromracialsegregation,Hanusheksaid.Ithinkthissoundsarealwarning,andIthinkthattheschool
districtandmaybeotherschooldistrictsshouldinfactpursuemoreinvestigationofthis.

FairfaxCountyPublicSchoolsisthelargestschoolsysteminVirginiaandamongthelargestinthecountry.Ithasnearly15,700
teachers.

TheGMUstudyfoundthatwhiteprincipalstendedtohirefewerblackteachersthanblackprincipalsdid.Theschooldistricts
157whiteprincipals83percentofthedistricttotalhired1,227newteachersforthe20122013schoolyear.Only49of
themwereblack.Meanwhile,the24blackprincipalsinthedistricthired194teachers,23ofwhomwereblack.

Theauthorsexploredpossiblereasonsforthehiringdiscrepanciesbutconcludedthatdiscriminatoryhiringpracticesoffered
theonlyplausibleexplanation.Theydidnotnamethesubjectofthestudyattherequestofthedistrict.GMU,Virginiaslargest
publicuniversity,hasitsmaincampusinFairfaxCounty.

Theresearcherswrotethatdemandforblackteachersinthedistrictishighandthattheadministrationwenttogreatlengthsto
enlargethepoolofblackcandidates.Recruiterstraveledwidelytojobfairsandvisitedhistoricallyblackcollegesand
universitiestoadvertisepositions,theauthorswrote.

Theyfoundthatblackapplicantsweremorelikelytohaveadvanceddegrees,suchasamasters,thanwhiteapplicantsandhad,
onaverage,almosttwomoreyearsofschoolteachingexperienceoutsidethedistrict.Theblackapplicantshadaslightlylower
passrateonascreeningtest:58percentreachedatleastaminimumscore,comparedwith65percentofwhiteapplicants.

KevinHickerson,presidentoftheFairfaxEducationAssociation,whichrepresentscountyschoolteachers,saidpartofthe
recruitingproblemmaystemfromaverydecentralizedhiringprocess.Candidatesapplythroughtheschoolsystem,but
principalsandtheirassistantsmustevaluatethemateachschool.

Itsreallyuptotheschoolwhodetermineswhogetshiredandwhodoesnt,Hickersonsaid.Imsurethattheressomebias
thatcouldcreepin.

GeorgeBecerra,fatherofaFairfaxfirstgraderandamemberoftheMinorityStudentAchievementOversightCommittee,said
hewasstunnedbythestudysconclusions.
Itdisheartensmeasaparentandmoreimportantlyasahumanbeingthatthisinstitutionalpracticeofdiscriminationandbias
isoccurringhere,Becerrasaid.Itstimetohaveopenconversationsaboutwhatisoccurring.

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T. Rees Shapiro is an education reporter. Follow @TReesShapiro

Moriah Balingit writes about education for the Post. Follow @ByMoriah