Student behavioral outcomes have been identified by recent research as important educational inputs that are positively related to achievement and long-term outcomes. For example, higher attendance is associated with increases in student achievement, high school graduation, and college enrollment. Similarly, suspensions contribute to achievement gaps and to the likelihood of involvement with the criminal justice system. Recent studies identified teacher racial diversity and teacher-student racial matching as factors that could improve behavioral outcomes for students of color. One intervention that has not yet been seriously investigated as an approach to improving behavioral outcomes and teacher diversity involves non-traditional teacher preparation programs. In this presentation, I use data from all students attending New York City public schools in grades three through twelve between 2014 and 2019 and examine the effects of teachers who are prepared and developed by one such alternative preparation program on student attendance, suspension, and teacher diversity. Results indicate that teachers trained by the non-traditional preparation program are more effective in improving student attendance and suspension. The program effects are substantially larger among students of color and students from historically marginalized backgrounds. There was greater racial diversity among first-year teachers from the non-traditional program relative to other new teachers and thus Black students were more likely to be taught by Black teachers if the teachers were trained by the non-traditional program. Finally, I provide suggestive evidence that same teacher-student race effects are larger for non-traditional teachers. Together, these findings provide an important example of how non-traditional teacher preparation programs can play an important role in improving students’ non-test outcomes and remedying large racial mismatches between teachers and students, and ultimately improve outcomes for historically marginalized students.

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