- Evaluation Studies Underway
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Teacher Quality
- Impact Evaluation of Teacher and Leader Performance Evaluation Systems
- Study of the Distribution of Effective Teaching
- NRC—National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
- Teacher Incentive Fund
- Teacher Residency Study
- Professional Development in Reading
- Professional Development in Math
- Teacher Training and Routes to Certification
- Teacher Preparation in Early Reading
- Teacher Induction
- Teacher Recruitment
- Alternative Certification
- Teacher Preparation in the U.S.
- Impact Evaluation of Math Professional Development
- Choice
- English Language Learning
- Students with Disabilities
- Other Evaluations
- Technical Assistance
Study of the Distribution of Effective Teaching
Contractors: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.; American Institutes for Research
Background/Research Questions:
The Department of Education's Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) reauthorization framework, Blueprint for Reform, builds upon reform initiatives funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) and includes a focus on providing access to effective teachers for all students and particularly those in high-need schools. In order to provide information about this policy objective, this study describes the distribution of effective teaching within districts over time and any changes in that distribution which may be associated with district strategies to promote an equitable distribution effective teaching.
The study will address the following key research questions:
- To what extent are disadvantaged students taught by less effective teachers than their non-disadvantaged peers within districts, and how does this change over time?
- What policies are districts implementing that could promote an equitable distribution of effective teachers?
- What is the relationship between district policies and the distribution of effective teachers?
Design:
The study is descriptive. It will document the distribution of effective teaching, as measured by value added, and changes in the distribution of effective teaching across the 2008–2009 through 2012–2013 school years. The study will also describe district polices designed to address inequitable distribution of effective teaching implemented during those years. Data collection includes the annual collection of district administrative records including student achievement to conduct value added analyses as well as annual semi-structured interviews with district leadership to provide information on district policies. Data collection will also include district personnel data to examine teacher mobility within participating districts. The study will be conducted in up to 30 geographically-dispersed school districts.
Cost/Duration: $8,096,214 over 5 years (September 2010–September 2015)
Current Status: The contract was awarded in September 2010. Data collection is underway. A report on this study will be announced on http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/.