Teacher Qualifications and Productivity in Secondary Schools

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between observable teacher characteristics and productivity as measured by an increase in student achievement on a standardized test using a value-added approach. This analysis focused on teachers of algebra, geometry, and 11th grade English Language Arts in Arkansas. The authors generated a value-added score at the school-course level and attributed that score to each teacher of that course in the school. The authors then regressed observable teacher characteristics on the value-added measure. The authors found no evidence that teacher certification route affects student tests scores, but found that higher ability math teachers do lead to higher scores.Teachers comprise over 4% of the U.S. labor force and numerous studies have linked teacher quality to student achievement. In recent years, policies and rules governing the teaching profession have changed significantly. Teacher tenure policies are being revisited, support is shifting away from salary schedules based on seniority and advanced degrees to systems based on merit, and teachers are increasingly entering the profession via alternative licensure routes. These structural changes in the education labor market will likely lead to compositional changes in the teacher workforce.

Understanding the role cumulative exposure to highly qualified science teachers plays in students' educational pathways

“…For instance, some studies have found the relationship between advanced degree and student achievement to be positive (Betts, Zau, & Rice, ; Dee, ; Nye, Konstantopoulos, & Hedges, ). In contrast, other studies have found that relationship to be insignificant (Aaronson, Barrow, & Sander, ; Shuls & Trivitt, ; Winters, Dixon, & Greene, ) or even negative (Clotfelter, Ladd, & Vigdor, ).…”

School Administrator’s Cognitive Constructs Related to Ideal Teacher Qualifications: A Phenomenological Analysis Based on Repertory Grid Technique

“…Okul yöneticileri mesleki yeterlik, kişisel özellikler ve örgütsel bağlılığa odaklanmaktadırlar. Bu bulgular, okul yöneticilerinin bilişsel kurgularının daha önce Çalışkan, Işık ve Saygın (2013), Darling-Hammond (2000), Gençtürk, Akbaş ve Kaymakçı (2012) ve Shuls ve Trivitt (2015) tarafından yürütülen araştırmaların bulguları ile tutarlı olduğunu göstermektedir. Başka bir ifadeyle, bu sonuçlar okul yöneticilerinin ideal öğretmen niteliklerine ilişkin doğru bilişsel kurgulara sahip olduklarını göstermektedir.…”

Raising the Bar on Teacher Quality: Assessing the Impact of Increasing Licensure Exam Cut-Scores

“…The impact of passing a licensure exam on student achievement is estimated in the second model. This strategy has been used by Shuls and Trivitt (2015a, 2015b).…”

“…Many have examined the relationship between teacher licensure exams and teacher quality (Clotfelter, Ladd, & Vigdor, 2006, 2010; Goldhaber, 2007; Shuls & Trivitt, 2015a, 2015b, etc.). Each of these studies use large administrative datasets from state departments of education in North Carolina (Clotfelter et al, 2006, 2010; Goldhaber, 2007) and Arkansas (Shuls & Trivitt, 2015a, 2015b). These analyses measured teacher quality in terms of value-added student achievement as measured by standardized exams.…”