The Impact of Relay Graduate School of Education Teachers on Student Attendance
This report examines the effects of educators who are prepared and developed by the Relay Graduate School of Education in New York City on students’ attendance. Our analysis includes data from all students in New York City public schools in grades three to eight between 2014 and 2019. We provide descriptive statistics on the students in our sample, including those who took at least one course taught by Relay teachers and those who did not take any courses taught by Relay teachers. We then present results from our analysis of the impact of Relay teachers on students’ attendance compared to non-Relay teachers, and examine how our results vary by students’ gender, grade level, English language proficiency, eligibility for free and reduced-price lunch, special education status, and prior academic achievement. Our results show that Relay teachers were more likely to teach students of color (Black and Hispanic) and students with backgrounds that are associated, on average, with more absences, such as those eligible for free and reduced-price lunch (FRL), students receiving special education, or students who are English Language Learners (ELL). We also found that Relay-prepared teachers were more effective than non-Relay teachers in improving students’ attendance. Finally, our analyses found that assignment to Relay-prepared teachers had positive impacts on attendance for students of color, students who always had FRL or ELL status, and students with low prior achievement in English Language Arts (ELA). We contextualize the results of the analysis, discuss considerations for interpreting the results, and outline possible future directions of this research.