Teacher Quality
Research
Buoyed by the work of The National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (NCTAF), the U.S. Department of Education and other national organizations, current research demonstrates that teacher quality is the most significant factor affecting student achievement. In analyses of students in Texas and Alabama, it was found that teachers' expertise accounted for about forty percent of the variance in students' reading and mathematics achievement in grades 1 through 11. The influence of teacher qualifications and class size together was found to have a greater impact on student achievement than poverty, race and parent education combined.
NCTAF, in an evaluation of numerous national and state specific studies from Georgia, Michigan, Virginia, Tennessee and California found that all these works reached similar conclusions: students achieve at greater levels when taught by qualified teachers (certification in their teaching field, level of experience and master's degrees). Teacher education, ability and experience along with small schools and lower teacher-pupil rations have been linked to significant increases in student achievement. Of these factors, spending on teacher education was found to be the most productive investment for schools and states in attempting to raise student performance.
While more rather than less teacher education is generally considered better for student outcomes, new studies show that not only the amount, but the type and quality of both pre-service and in-service education also are important. Teacher education departments that offer five-year programs and extended internships find that their graduates are more likely to enter and remain in teaching than traditional programs. A 1993 study in California found that students with teachers who participated in professional development that was based on actually curriculum and sustained throughout the school year performed at higher levels in mathematics. The study also found that teachers undergoing this type of professional development had a better understanding of mathematics teaching strategies and were more likely to implement new approaches into classroom instruction.
While degrees of impact and significance vary across studies, virtually all of the research concludes that the education and qualifications of teachers is an important factor in determining student success. States such as Connecticut and North Carolina that undertook major initiatives in the past years aimed at improving teacher quality posted some of the largest gains on the National Assessment of Education Progress and other measures of student achievement. Given these findings more states are reevaluating teacher policies across the country.
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