According to research conducted by Robert P Strauss of Carnegie Mellon's Heinz School of Public Policy and Management, the role played by teachers and principals has a greater effect on the racial achievement gap than poverty or single-parent status. Strauss' research team found that, while some principals and teachers had no net positive or negative effect on student scores on the state tests, in many cases a principal or teacher demonstrated a pronounced effect on student test scores, ranging from a drop of test scores by roughly 35% to a raise in test scores by roughly 16%.

Principals and Teachers Play Large Role in Influencing Racial Achievement Gap