Teacher Characteristics and Student Achievement Gains: A Review

A large body of studies exists that examines the relationship between student achievement gains and the characteristics of teachers. To help policymakers and researchers use and build on this body of studies, this article reviews the studies systematically and synthesizes their results with deliberate consideration of each study’s qualities. Determinate relationships are described for four categories of teacher characteristics: college ratings, test scores, degrees and coursework, and certification status. The review details the implications of these relationships in light of study limitations and proposes directions for future research.

[1]  Andrew C. Porter,et al.  State Policy Related to Teacher Licensure , 2003 .

[2]  Suzanne M. Wilson,et al.  Creating Effective Teachers: Concise Answers for Hard Questions. An Addendum to the Report "Teacher Preparation Research: Current Knowledge, Gaps, and Recommendations.". , 2003 .

[3]  Brian Rowan,et al.  What Large-Scale, Survey Research Tells Us About Teacher What Large-Scale, Survey Research Tells Us About Teacher Effects on Student Achievement: Insights From the Prospectus Effects on Student Achievement: Insights From the Prospectus Study of Elementary Schools Study of Elementary Schools , 2015 .

[4]  A. Wayne.  Teacher Inequality: New Evidence on Disparities in Teachers' Academic Skills. , 2002 .

[5]  Kate Walsh,et al.  Teacher Certification Reconsidered: Stumbling for Quality. , 2001 .

[6]  L. Darling-Hammond,et al.  The Research and Rhetoric on Teacher Certification: A Response to "Teacher Certification Reconsidered" , 2001 .

[7]  Ronald G. Ehrenberg,et al.  Class Size and Student Achievement , 2001, Psychological science in the public interest : a journal of the American Psychological Society.

[8]  L. Darling-Hammond,et al.  Does Teacher Certification Matter? Evaluating the Evidence , 2001 .

[9]  D. Brewer,et al.  Evaluating the Evidence on Teacher Certification: A Rejoinder , 2001 .

[10]  L. Ludlow.  Teacher Test Accountability: From Alabama to Massachusetts. , 2001 .

[11]  Margaret E. Raymond,et al.  Teach For America: An Evaluation of Teacher Differences and Student Outcomes In Houston, Texas , 2001 .

[12]  A. Wayne.  Teacher Supply and Demand: Surprises from Primary Research , 2000 .

[13]  Sheida White,et al.  How Does NAEP Select Schools and Students , 2000 .

[14]  David W. Grissmer,et al.  Improving Student Achievement: What State NAEP Test Scores Tell Us , 2000 .

[15]  D. Grissmer,et al.  Analytic Issues in the Assessment of Student Achievement. Proceedings from a Research Seminar (Washington, DC, November 1998). , 2000 .

[16]  D. Brewer,et al.  Does Teacher Certification Matter? High School Teacher Certification Status and Student Achievement , 2000 .

[17]  S. Turner.  A Comment on "Poor School Funding, Child Poverty, and Mathematics Achievement" , 2000 .

[18]  S. Turner.  Research News And Comment: A Comment on "Poor School Funding, Child Poverty, and Mathematics Achievement" , 2000 .

[19]  M. Podgursky,et al.  Reforming Teacher Preparation and Licensing: Continuing the Debate , 2000, Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education.

[20]  M. Podgursky,et al.  Reforming Teacher Preparation and Licensing: What is the Evidence? , 2000, Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education.

[21]  L. Darling-Hammond.  Reforming Teacher Preparation and Licensing: Debating the Evidence , 2000, Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education.

[22]  Thomas A. Husted,et al.  The ineffectiveness of school inputs: a product of misspecification? , 2000 .

[23]  G. Glass.  Teacher Quality and Student Achievement: A Review of State Policy Evidence , 2000 .

[24]  L. Darling-Hammond.  Teacher Quality and Student Achievement: A Review of State Policy Evidence , 2000 .

[25]  L. Darling-Hammond.  Teacher Quality and Student Achievement , 2000 .

[26]  Xianglei Chen,et al.  Progress through the Teacher Pipeline: 1992-93 College Graduates and Elementary/Secondary School Teaching as of 1997. Statistical Analysis Report. Postsecondary Education Descriptive Analysis Reports. , 2000 .

[27]  Laurie J. Bassi,et al.  The Puzzling Case of School Resources and Student Achievement , 1999 .

[28]  William J. Hussar.  Predicting the Need for Newly Hired Teachers in the United States to 2008-09. , 1999 .

[29]  B. Biddle,et al.  Poor School Funding, Child Poverty, and Mathematics Achievement , 1999 .

[30]  M. Fetler,et al.  High School Staff Characteristics and Mathematics Test Results , 1999 .

[31]  William,et al.  Cumulative and Residual Effects of Teachers on Future Student Academic Achievement , 1999 .

[32]  E. Hanushek,et al.  Teachers, Schools, and Academic Achievement , 1998 .

[33]  Ronald F. Ferguson.  Can schools narrow the Black–White test score gap? , 1998 .

[34]  C. Jencks,et al.  The Black-White Test Score Gap. , 1998 .

[35]  Brian Rowan,et al.  Using research on employees' performance to study the effects of teachers on students' achievement? , 1997 .

[36]  Eric A. Hanushek,et al.  Assessing the Effects of School Resources on Student Performance: An Update , 1997 .

[37]  Sandra P. Horn,et al.  Teacher and Classroom Context Effects on Student Achievement: Implications for Teacher Evaluation , 1997 .

[38]  Dan Goldhaber,et al.  Why don't schools and teachers seem to matter? : assessing the impact of unobservables on educational productivity , 1997 .

[39]  D. Brewer,et al.  Evaluating the Effect of Teacher Degree Level on Educational Performance. , 1996 .

[40]  Larry V. Hedges,et al.  The Effect of School Resources on Student Achievement , 1996 .

[41]  J. Kain,et al.  Equality of education opportunity revisited , 1996 .

[42]  Helen F. Ladd,et al.  Holding Schools Accountable: Performance-Based Reform in Education. , 1996 .

[43]  Richard M. Ingersoll,et al.  Out-of-Field Teaching and Educational Equality , 1996 .

[44]  Ronald G. Ehrenberg,et al.  Do Teachers' Race, Gender, and Ethnicity Matter? Evidence from the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 , 1995 .

[45]  Ronald G. Ehrenberg,et al.  Did Teachers' Verbal Ability and Race Matter in the 1960s? "Coleman" Revisited. RAND Reprints. , 1995 .

[46]  Robert O. Keohane,et al.  Designing Social Inquiry: Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research. , 1995 .

[47]  David H. Monk,et al.  Subject area preparation of secondary mathematics and science teachers and student achievement , 1994 .

[48]  Ronald G. Ehrenberg,et al.  Do school and teacher characteristics matter? Evidence from High School and Beyond , 1994 .

[49]  Eric A. Hanushek,et al.  The Trade-off between Child Quantity and Quality , 1992, Journal of Political Economy.

[50]  Ronald F. Ferguson.  Paying for public education: New evidence on how and why money , 1991 .

[51]  D. Warren.  American teachers : histories of a profession at work , 1991 .

[52]  G. P. Smith,et al.  A Case Study of the Impact MINORITIES of Performance-Based Testing on the Supply of Minority Teachers , 1988 .

[53]  G. P. Smith.  A Case Study of the Impact of Performance-Based Testing on the Supply of Minority Teachers. , 1988 .

[54]  D. Harnisch.  Characteristics Associated with Effective Public High Schools. , 1987 .

[55]  G. Madaus,et al.  Charms Talismanic: Testing Teachers for the Improvement of American Education , 1987 .

[56]  P. Graham.  Black Teachers: A Drastically Scarce Resource. , 1987 .

[57]  S. Schlossman,et al.  Who Will Teach: Historical Perspectives on the Changing Appeal of Teaching As a Profession , 1987 .

[58]  J. Mulligan,et al.  The merits of a longer school day , 1986 .

[59]  R. Strauss,et al.  Some new evidence on teacher and student competencies , 1986 .

[60]  M. Goertz,et al.  The Impact of NTE Use by States on Teacher Selection. , 1985 .

[61]  Charles R. Coble,et al.  Certification: It Does Matter , 1985 .

[62]  H. Kiesling.  Assignment practices and the relationship of instructional time to the reading performance of elementary school children , 1984 .

[63]  J. Stone,et al.  Unions and Public Schools: The Effect of Collective Bargaining on American Education. , 1984 .

[64]  R. Murnane,et al.  What do effective teachers of inner-city children have in common? , 1981 .

[65]  C. Link,et al.  Student Perceptions, I.Q. and Achievement. , 1979 .

[66]  Anita A. Summers,et al.  Do Schools Make a Difference , 1977 .

[67]  T. Cooper.  Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. , 1976, Military medicine.

[68]  R. Murnane,et al.  The Impact of School Resources on the Learning of Inner City Children. , 1976 .

[69]  Anita A. Summers,et al.  Which School Resources Help Learning? Efficiency and Equity in Philadelphia Public Schools. Business Review. , 1975 .

[70]  Anita A. Summers,et al.  Equality of Educational Opportunity Quantified: A Production Function Approach. , 1975 .

[71]  E. Hanushek.  Teacher Characteristics and Gains in Student Achievement: Estimation Using Micro Data. , 1971 .