Teacher Quality and Student Achievement. Urban Diversity Series.
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| Title: | Teacher Quality and Student Achievement. Urban Diversity Series. |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Goldhaber, Dan, Anthony, Emily, ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education, New York, NY. |
| Availability: | ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education, 525 West 120th Street, Box 40, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027. Tel: 212-678-3443; Tel: 800-601-4868 (Toll Free); Fax: 212-678-4012; e-mail: eric-cue@columbia.edu; Web site: http://www.eric-web.tc.columbia.edu/. |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 53 |
| Publication Date: | 2003 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Department of Education, Washington, DC. |
| Contract Number: | ED-99-CO-0035 |
| Report Number: | UDS-115 |
| Document Type: | Information Analyses ERIC Publications |
| Descriptors: | Academic Achievement, Elementary Secondary Education, Research Methodology, Teacher Certification, Teacher Characteristics, Teacher Competencies, Teacher Effectiveness |
| Geographic Terms: | U.S.; New York |
| Abstract: | Recent research suggests that teacher quality is the most important educational input predicting student achievement. Nonetheless, many teachers are less academically skilled than college graduates in other occupations. This study explores characteristics of highly qualified teachers and the connections that exist between these attributes and student learning and achievement. The study reviews research that attempts to correlate teachers' advanced degrees, their pedagogical and content knowledge, types of certification, years of experience, and academic proficiency with student academic growth. The current demand for better teachers coincides with policy and demographic shifts that have made teaching arguably more difficult. The need to improve teacher quality comes at a time when the nation is faced with the task of replacing a generation of teachers nearing retirement age. Exacerbating the need to hire new teachers is the growing number of new students in schools. As enrollment rises, education policy initiatives such as class size reduction have increased the demand for new teachers. The paper discusses teacher skills over time and compared to college educated people in other professions. After examining labor market explanations for teachers' lower proficiency, the paper provides public policy suggestions to increase teacher quality. A primer on statistical methods is appended. (Contains 88 references.) (SM) |
| Journal Code: | RIEJAN2004 |
| Entry Date: | 2004 |
| Accession Number: | ED477271 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Recent research suggests that teacher quality is the most important educational input predicting student achievement. Nonetheless, many teachers are less academically skilled than college graduates in other occupations. This study explores characteristics of highly qualified teachers and the connections that exist between these attributes and student learning and achievement. The study reviews research that attempts to correlate teachers' advanced degrees, their pedagogical and content knowledge, types of certification, years of experience, and academic proficiency with student academic growth. The current demand for better teachers coincides with policy and demographic shifts that have made teaching arguably more difficult. The need to improve teacher quality comes at a time when the nation is faced with the task of replacing a generation of teachers nearing retirement age. Exacerbating the need to hire new teachers is the growing number of new students in schools. As enrollment rises, education policy initiatives such as class size reduction have increased the demand for new teachers. The paper discusses teacher skills over time and compared to college educated people in other professions. After examining labor market explanations for teachers' lower proficiency, the paper provides public policy suggestions to increase teacher quality. A primer on statistical methods is appended. (Contains 88 references.) (SM) |
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