Working Paper: NBER ID: w13617
Authors: Charles T. Clotfelter; Helen F. Ladd; Jacob L. Vigdor
Abstract: We use data on statewide end-of-course tests in North Carolina to examine the relationship between teacher credentials and student achievement at the high school level. The availability of test scores in multiple subjects for each student permits us to estimate a model with student fixed effects, which helps minimize any bias associated with the non-random distribution of teachers and students among classrooms within schools. We find compelling evidence that teacher credentials affect student achievement in systematic ways and that the magnitudes are large enough to be policy relevant. As a result, the uneven distribution of teacher credentials by race and socio-economic status of high school students -- a pattern we also document -- contributes to achievement gaps in high school.
Keywords: teacher credentials; student achievement; high school; education policy; North Carolina
JEL Codes: I21; J45
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| teacher credentials (A21) | student achievement (I24) |
| more experienced teachers (A21) | student achievement (I24) |
| teacher's math test score (C12) | student achievement in algebra or geometry (C12) |
| teacher certification in subject taught (A21) | student achievement (I24) |
| lateral entry license (J44) | student performance (D29) |
| uneven distribution of teacher credentials (I24) | achievement gaps among high school students (I24) |