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Clearinghouse on Educational Policy and Management
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| College of Education · University of Oregon |
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Trends and Issues: Instructional Personnel
Teacher QualityTeacher quality is emerging as "the most important ingredient in students’ achievement," according to recent studies (Protheroe, Lewis, and Paik 2002; U.S. Department of Education 2000). Linda Darling-Hammond found that "the strongest predictor of how well a state’s students performed on national assessments was the percentage of well-qualified teachers: educators who were fully certified and had majored in the subjects they taught" (Olson 2000). A study conducted by Harvard economist Ronald Ferguson similarly concluded that differences in achievement levels between the students he studied could be "explained almost entirely" by differences in teachers’ qualifications (Protheroe, Lewis, and Paik 2002). According to Ferguson, "Every additional dollar spent on more highly qualified teachers. . . netted greater increases in student achievement than other, non-instructional uses of school resources" (Protheroe, Lewis, and Paik 2002). There is also evidence that ineffective teaching can have a lasting impact on student achievement levels. A study led by William Sanders found that "elementary school students taught by ineffective teachers three years in a row score significantly lower than students taught by highly effective teachers" (Protheroe, Lewis, and Paik 2002). Researchers found that "three years in a row with poor teachers almost wiped out a student’s chances of keeping up in school" (Protheroe, Lewis, and Paik 2002). Although research indicates the importance of having qualified teachers in the classroom, evaluating teacher quality can a difficult task. According to Jeffrey Archer, more large-scale, controlled studies are needed to identify what type of training makes teachers most effective. Currently, policymakers can interpret research findings in conflicting ways (Archer 2002). Most agree that basic skills are one of the most important indicators of teacher quality (Archer 2002). "Research suggests that, at a minimum, teachers should have a solid general education and know their subjects. Students whose teachers know their subjects perform better than students whose teachers lack subject-matter preparation" (Olson 2000). Another factor that enhances teacher quality is experience. "Studies suggest that students learn more from experienced teachers than they do from less experienced teachers" (U.S. Department of Education 2000). Research also suggests that teachers who teach in the field in which they received their training and those who participate in high-quality induction and professional development programs are more effective than those who do not (U.S. Department of Education 2000). Most states require teachers to pass licensure tests, but few of these tests go beyond multiple-choice questions (Boser 2001). Critics complain that the basic-skills tests administered to prospective teachers are too easy–measuring verbal and mathematical achievement at about the tenth-grade level (Olson 2000). Moreover, they argue that states set passing scores too low and create loopholes to allow teachers who fail into the classroom (Olson 2000). Critics also take issue with "convoluted licensing requirements" that they believe do not actually guarantee competence and "deter bright college graduates and would-be career-switchers" (Olson 2000). Notwithstanding this debate, many states allow schools to employ unlicensed teachers on an emergency basis to meet staffing needs (Olson 2000). "More than one-fourth of teachers enter the profession without having fully met state licensing standards, according to the National Commission on Teaching & America’s Future. Twelve percent of new teachers are hired with no license at all, while another 15 percent hold temporary, provisional, or emergency licenses" (Olson 2000). A related problem is teachers’ teaching subjects in which they have little or no training. "About a third of U.S. teachers each year are assigned at least one class a day for which they have not been trained" (Olson 2000). This practice is especially prevalent in "high-poverty schools and small schools, among beginning teachers, and for middle school students and children of all ages who are in lower-track academic classes" (Olson 2000, U.S. Department of Education 2000). Protheroe, Lewis, and Paik (2002) suggest that to ensure quality teaching, administrators should:
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