Collective pedagogical teacher culture, teacher–student ethno-racial mismatch, and teacher job satisfaction

• White kindergarten teachers less satisfied with jobs than teachers of color.
• White kindergarten teachers especially less satisfied when teaching diverse classrooms.
• Professional community moderates effects of teacher–student ethno-racial mismatch.

Teacher job satisfaction is critical to schools’ successful functioning. Using a representative sample of kindergarten teachers from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, we investigate the association among professional learning community and teacher collaboration, teacher ethno-racial group, teacher–student ethno-racial mismatch, and teacher job satisfaction. We find that White teachers are significantly less satisfied than African–American and Latino teachers, especially when they teach in majority non-White classrooms. However, the existence of a professional community moderates the negative influence of teacher–student ethno-racial mismatch on White teachers’ job satisfaction. In effect, strong professional communities serve as a cushion to bolster teacher job satisfaction.