Monday, June 27, 2011

Schools Matter: "What Research Says About the Effect of Teachers" EWA

Schools Matter: "What Research Says About the Effect of Teachers" EWA

"What Research Says About the Effect of Teachers" EWA

Everyone should look closely at this new report from the Education Writers Association:

"What Research Says About the Effect of Teachers"

By Stephen Sawchuk


There key points based on solid research of the evidence:

"Are teachers the mostimportant factor affecting student achievement? It can be said:
Research has shownthat the variation in student achievement is predominantly a product ofindividual and family background characteristics. Of the school factors thathave been isolated for study, teachers are probably the most importantdeterminants of how students will perform on standardized tests."
"Are value-addedestimations reliable or stable?
It can be said:
Value-added modelsappear to pick up some differences in teacher quality, but they can beinfluenced by a number of factors, such as the statistical controls selected.They may also be affected by the characteristics of schools and peers. Theimpact of unmeasured factors in schools, such as principals and choice ofcurriculum, is less clear."
"What are thedifferences in achievement between students who have effective or ineffective teachersfor several years in a row?
It can be said:
Some teachers producestronger achievement gains among their students than others do. However,estimates of