Late to Class

This article examines the extent to which both teacher and student assignment patterns are associated with inequitable classroom compositions within schools. From a sample of about 30,000 elementary school classrooms in Tennessee, we first investigate the characteristics that predict a switch in a teacher’s assignment to a new grade or school. Next, we estimate the extent to which new-to-assignment teachers are systematically assigned different classrooms on the basis of students’ prior achievement and demographic characteristics. We find that, compared with their grade-level colleagues, new-to-school teachers are more likely to be assigned students of color, students eligible for free-and-reduced-price-lunch, and those with lower prior-year achievement. However, the classroom compositions of teachers in their first year at a new school are consistent with those they are assigned to teach in years when they do not change positions. We do not find systematic differences in classroom assignments for new-to-grade teachers within a school. Implications for policy are discussed.