WWC review of this study

The Effects of Teacher Entry Portals on Student Achievement

Henry, Gary T.; Purtell, Kelly M.; Bastian, Kevin C.; Fortner, C. Kevin; Thompson, Charles L.; Campbell, Shanyce L.; Patterson, Kristina M. (2014). Journal of Teacher Education, v65 n1 p7-23. Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1019823

  • Quasi-Experimental Design
     examining 
    22,056
     Students
    , grades
    3-12

Reviewed: August 2016

At least one finding shows moderate evidence of effectiveness
At least one statistically significant positive finding
Meets WWC standards with reservations
English language arts achievement outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

North Carolina End-of-Grade Reading Assessment

Teach for America (TFA) vs. Business as usual

1 Years

Grades 3–5;
18,270 students

-0.40

-0.43

No

--

North Carolina End-of-Grade Reading Assessment

Teach for America (TFA) vs. Business as usual

1 Years

Grades 6–8;
13,409 students

-0.22

-0.24

No

--
General Mathematics Achievement outcomes—Statistically significant positive effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

North Carolina End-of-Grade Mathematics Assessment

Teach for America (TFA) vs. Business as usual

1 Years

Grades 9-12;
9,838 students

-0.31

-0.49

Yes

 
 
7
 

North Carolina End-of-Grade Mathematics Assessment

Teach for America (TFA) vs. Business as usual

1 Years

Grades 6-8;
9,743 students

-0.21

-0.34

Yes

 
 
5
 

North Carolina End-of-Grade Mathematics Assessment

Teach for America (TFA) vs. Business as usual

1 Years

Grades 3-5;
13,322 students

-0.36

-0.43

Yes

 
 
3
 
Social Studies Achievement outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

North Carolina End-of-Grade Social Studies Assessments

Teach for America (TFA) vs. Business as usual

1 Years

Grades 9–12;
7,289 students

-0.11

-0.17

No

--


Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.

Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.

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    North Carolina

Setting

The study was conducted in North Carolina public schools.

Study sample

The authors did not report the demographic characteristics of the students and teachers included in these analytic samples.

Intervention Group

Students were taught by TFA teachers with less than 5 years of teaching experience. The authors did not report any deviations from the TFA model.

Comparison Group

Students were taught by individuals with less than 5 years of teaching experience who were in-state undergraduate prepared teachers. These teachers completed their initial licensure requirements prior to beginning teaching by receiving a bachelor’s degree from a North Carolina public university.

Support for implementation

TFA teachers received training through a 5-week summer program they attend prior to beginning teaching. They also received mentoring and professional development from TFA throughout their 2-year teaching commitment.

In the case of multiple manuscripts that report on one study, the WWC selects one manuscript as the primary citation and lists other manuscripts that describe the study as additional sources.

  • Dynarski, M., Gleason, P., Rangarajan, A., & Wood, R. (1998). Impacts of dropout prevention programs: Final report [Project ACCEL - Newark, NJ]. A research report from the School Dropout Demonstration Assistance Program evaluation. Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.

  • Bompadre, C. E. (2002). The effectiveness of systematic reading programs on the achievement of students in grades K–2. (Doctoral dissertation, Immaculata College). Dissertation Abstracts International, 63 (03), 890A. (UMI No. 3045848).

  • Henry, G. T., Bastian, K. C., Fortner, C. K., Kershaw, D. C., Purtell, K. M., Thompson, C. L., & Zulli, R. A. (2014). Teacher preparation policies and their effects on student achievement. Education Finance and Policy, 9(3), 264–303.

  • Henry, G. T., Bastian, K. C., & Smith, A. A. (2012). Scholarships to recruit the best and brightest into teaching: Who is recruited, where do they teach, how effective are they, and how long do they stay?. Educational Researcher, 41(3), 83–92.

  • Henry, G. T., Thompson, C. L., Bastian, K. C., Fortner, C. K., Kershaw, D. C., Purtell, K. M., & Zulli, R. A. (2010). Portal report: Teacher preparation and student test scores in North Carolina. Chapel Hill: Carolina Institute for Public Policy, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

 

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