Surely everyone can agree with Mike Edwards' core idea in "Grading teachers vital to education" (Oct. 29) that "every student needs to be well prepared for life and the work force" and that education is a critical factor in every citizen's quality of life. However, almost no one, especially researchers, would agree with Edwards' contention that teachers are the most important factor in a child's education. What the research consistently shows, rather, is that teachers are the most important school-level factor in student learning, and that other non-school factors including family income, parental influence, health, poverty and safety combine to shape a child's school achievement in ways that even the greatest teachers cannot account for.
Other important factors influencing student achievement that Edwards does not mention include the quality and quantity of resources, human and otherwise, within school organizations. Research consistently shows, for example, that well-resourced schools with effective school library programs, up-to-date facilities, solid professional development, and socioeconomically-integrated school populations have overall higher student achievement than segregated schools that operate out of run-down buildings with old books and inadequate
Other important factors influencing student achievement that Edwards does not mention include the quality and quantity of resources, human and otherwise, within school organizations. Research consistently shows, for example, that well-resourced schools with effective school library programs, up-to-date facilities, solid professional development, and socioeconomically-integrated school populations have overall higher student achievement than segregated schools that operate out of run-down buildings with old books and inadequate
