Racial Equity

SREed logo and Weerp logo.

As part of WEERP, SREED has worked to center its work on racial equity. It has done this through two recent studies.

Race, Relational Trust, and Teacher Retention in Wisconsin Schools

In this study, we examined why Wisconsin schools struggle to retain teachers of color and why schools with the most students of color have the greatest difficulty retaining teachers.

We found Black teachers have lower trust with other teachers, which partially explains why they are considerably more likely to transfer or leave public education than White teachers. We also found White teachers reported less trust with Black or Latinx principals and between teachers, when fewer teachers were White. This helps explain the teacher retention challenges experienced in schools comprised almost entirely of students of color.

Reorganizing the Professional Culture in Wisconsin Schools to Eliminate Racial Achievement Gaps

In this study, we examined the impact that schools with a strong professional culture (a stable group of educators who trust each other, collaborate effectively, and are committed to their school) have on the English Language Arts (ELA) and Math achievement of Black, White, and Latinx students. The results suggest much of the large achievement gap between Black, White, and Latinx students is attributable to inequities in the quality of schooling students receive. When schools were organized with a strong professional culture, racial achievement gaps were significantly reduced. Unfortunately, very few schools serving Black or Latinx students are organized to improve with a strong professional culture.