What Value Did the Chetty Study Add?
Dear Deborah,
Just days ago, three economists released a study that created a great deal of controversy. Raj Chetty and John N. Friedman of Harvard University and Jonah Rockoff of Columbia University studied the school records and income tax records of 2.5 million students in a major urban district (probably New York City) over a 20-year period. They concluded that good teachers cause students to get higher test scores, which lead in turn to higher lifetime earnings, fewer teen pregnancies, and higher college-going rates.
The study was reported on Page One of The New York Times, covered on the PBS Newshour, and lauded byNicholas Kristoff in the Times. While the study itself did not have specific policy recommendations, one of the authors told the Times: "The message is to fire people sooner rather than later."
The study seemed to vindicate supporters of value-added assessment. It was certainly good news for Erik
