What does certification tell us about teacher effectiveness? Evidence from New York City

• Published in: Economics of education review Vol. 27; no. 6; pp. 615 - 631
• Main Authors: Kane, Thomas J, Rockoff, Jonah E, Staiger, Douglas O
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier India Pvt Ltd 01.12.2008; Elsevier
• Series: Economics of Education Review
• Subjects: Alternative certification; Bildungsertrag; Bildungsverhalten; Bildungswesen; Economics; Faculty Mobility; Lehrer; New York; New York, N.Y; Predictor Variables; Qualifikation; Schüler; Scores; Student achievement; Teacher Certification; Teacher Effectiveness; Teacher experience; Teacher Persistence; Teacher quality; Teacher quality Teacher certification Alternative certification Teacher experience Valve-added Student achievement; Teaching Experience; Tests; Valve-added; New York; Teacher quality; Teacher certification; Student achievement; Valve-added; Teacher experience; Alternative certification
• ISSN: 0272-7757; 1873-7382
• DOI: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2007.05.005

We use six years of panel data on students and teachers to evaluate the effectiveness of recently hired teachers in the New York City public schools. On average, the initial certification status of a teacher has small impacts on student test performance. However, among those with the same experience and certification status, there are large and persistent differences in teacher effectiveness. Such evidence suggests that classroom performance during the first two years is a more reliable indicator of a teacher's future effectiveness. We also evaluate turnover among teachers by initial certification status, and the implied impact on student achievement of hiring teachers with predictably high turnover. Given modest estimates of the payoff to experience, even high turnover groups (such as Teach for America participants) would have to be only slightly more effective in each year to offset the negative effects of their high exit rates (I2, J24).