Working Paper: NBER ID: w12155
Authors: Thomas J. Kane; Jonah E. Rockoff; Douglas O. Staiger
Abstract: We use six years of data on student test performance to evaluate the effectiveness of certified, uncertified, and alternatively certified teachers in the New York City public schools. On average, the certification status of a teacher has at most small impacts on student test performance. However, among those with the same certification status, there are large and persistent differences in teacher effectiveness. This evidence suggests that classroom performance during the first two years, rather than certification status, is a more reliable indicator of a teacher's future effectiveness. We also evaluate turnover among teachers with different certification status, and the impact on student achievement of hiring teachers with predictably high turnover. Given relatively modest estimates of experience differentials, even high turnover groups (such as Teach for America participants) would have to be only slightly more effective in their first year to offset the negative effects of their high exit rates.
Keywords: teacher certification; teacher effectiveness; student achievement; New York City
JEL Codes: I2; J0
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Classroom performance during the first two years (D29) | Future effectiveness (J17) |
| Certification status (among same status) (D80) | Differences in effectiveness (C52) |
| Teach for America (TFA) program (I24) | Math instruction performance (C52) |
| High turnover rates among TFA teachers (J63) | Need for higher effectiveness (D29) |
| Top quarter of elementary school math teachers (A21) | Value-added (D46) |
| Shifting the mix of teachers based on certification status (J45) | Student achievement (I24) |
| Selective retention of effective teachers (J45) | Enhanced outcomes (O36) |
| Teacher certification status (A29) | Student test performance (D29) |