Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER)

Topic: State and Local Education Policy

Purpose: Supported by a five-year, $10 million grant from the Institute for Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education, CALDER is a federally funded National Research and Development Center.

The center will harvest state and district administrative data on individual teachers and students for insights into how state and local policies, especially teacher policies, governance policies, and accountability policies affect teachers (e.g., who teaches what students) and students (e.g., academic achievement and attainment).

CALDER will mine the longitudinal databases that have emerged as educational systems face increased performance-based accountability. Comprehensive databases in Florida, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Texas, and Washington state represent the initial core of the research focus.

Projects

Policies Regarding Teachers
Principal Investigator: Jane Hannaway, The Urban Institute
Previous research suggests that the quality of the teacher workforce available to students can affect student achievement. A major goal of the Center is thus to examine state and local policies that are implemented with regard to the hiring, compensation, certification, recruitment, retention, and assignment of teachers. These policies are then related to student achievement as measured through achievement exams, courses taken, and graduation rates.

Governance Policies and Community Conditions
Principal Investigator: Jane Hannaway, The Urban Institute
Other research questions of interest to the Center include governance policies, such as accountability and choice, as well as social and economic conditions of the community, such as changing demographics, the changing labor market, and resources. Of particular interest is the way in which such policies and conditions affect the quality of teachers available to different school systems, and how these in turn may affect student achievement.

Examination of State Databases
Principal Investigator: Jane Hannaway, The Urban Institute
The Center is using comprehensive education databases in Florida, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Texas, and Washington to disentangle the effects of different policies by location. The Center also expects to make significant technical contributions to the field as it engages new, rich databases to help guide policymaking.

Key Personnel: Jane Hannaway, Donald Boyd, Damon Clark, Charles Clotfelter, David Figlio, Mark Ehlert, Dan Goldhaber, Erik Hanushek, Lawrence Kenny, Helen Ladd, Hamilton Lankford, Susanna Loeb, Dan O’Brien, Michael Podgursky, Steve Rivkin, Richard Romano, Jeffrey Roth, Kim Rueben, Tim Sass, Jacob Vigdor, Jim Wyckoff.

Publications:

Journal Articles:

Clotfelter, C.T., Ladd, H.F., and Vigdor, J.L. (2007). High Poverty Schools and the Distribution of Teachers and Principals. North Carolina Law Review, 85(5): 1345–1380.

Clotfelter, C.T., Ladd, H.F., and Vigdor, J.L. (forthcoming). Teacher Credentials and Student Achievement: Longitudinal Analysis With Student Fixed Effects. Economics of Education Review.

Clotfelter, C.T., Glennie, E., Ladd, H.F., and Vigdor, J.L. (2006). Teacher Bonuses and Teacher Retention in Low Performing Schools: Evidence From the North Carolina $1,800 Teacher Bonus Program. Public Finance Review.

Clotfelter, C.T., Ladd, H.F., and Vigdor, J.L. (2006). Teacher-Student Matching and the Assessment of Teacher Effectiveness. Journal of Human Resources, 41(4): 778–820.

Clotfelter, C.T., Ladd, H.F., Vigdor, J.L., and Wheeler, J. (forthcoming). High Poverty Schools and the Distribution of Teachers and Principals. North Carolina Law Review.

Clotfelter, C.T., Ladd, H.F., and Vigdor, J.L. (2006). Federal Oversight, Local Control, and the Specter of 'Resegregation' in Southern Schools. American Law and Economics Review, 8(2): 347–389.

Cook, P., Maccoun, R., Muschkin, C., and Vigdor, J.L. (forthcoming). The Negative Impacts of Starting Middle School in Sixth Grade. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management.

Figlio, D. (forthcoming). Boys Named Sue: Disruptive Children and Their Peers. Education Finance and Policy.

Figlio, D., and Kenny, L. (forthcoming). Individual Teacher Incentives and Student Performance. Journal of Public Economics.

Figlio, D., and Downes, T. (forthcoming). Tax and Expenditure Limits, School Finance and School Quality. Handbook of Education Finance and Policy.

Figlio, D., and Ladd, H.F. (forthcoming). School Accountability and Student Achievement. Handbook of Education Finance and Policy.

Goldhaber, D. (forthcoming). Everyone's Doing It, But What Does Teacher Testing Tell Us About Teacher Effectiveness? Journal of Human Resources.

Goldhaber, D., and Anthony, E. (2007). Can Teacher Quality Be Effectively Assessed? National Board Certification as a Signal of Effective Teaching. Review of Economics and Statistics, 89(1): 134–150.

Goldhaber, D., Cramer, L., and Choi, H. A. (2007). Descriptive Analysis of the Distribution of NBPTS Certified Teachers in North Carolina. Economics of Education Review, 26(2): 160–172.

Goldhaber, D. (2006). National Board Teachers Are More Effective, But Are They in the Classrooms Where They're Needed the Most? Education Finance and Policy, 1(3).

Hanushek, E.A., and Rivkin, S. (2007). Pay, Working Conditions, and Teacher Quality. In S. Loeb, C. Rouse, and A. Shorris (Eds.), Excellence in the Classroom: Policies to Improve the Teacher Workforce, 17(1).

Wheeler, J., and Glennie, E. (2007). Can Pay Incentives Improve the Recruitment and Retention of Teachers in America'a Hard-To-Staff Schools? Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy. Retrieved from http://www.childandfamilypolicy.duke.edu/publications/policybriefs/files/edureform/incentives.pdf.

Wyckoff, J. with Boyd, D., Lankford, H., and Loeb, S. (forthcoming).The Impact of Assessment and Accountability on Teacher Recruitment and Retention: Are There Unintended Consequences? Public Finance Review.

Book Chapters:

Figlio, D., and Roth, J. (forthcoming). The Effects of Pre-Kindergarten Participation On Behavioral Outcomes. In J. Gruber (Ed.), The Economics of Disadvantaged Youth. University of Chicago Press.

Vigdor, J. and Nechyba, T.S. (2007). Peer Effects in North Carolina Public Schools. In P.E. Peterson and L. Wößmann (Eds.), Schools and the Equal Opportunity Problem. MIT Press.

Wyckoff, J. (forthcoming). Closing the Student Achievement Gap by Increasing the Effectiveness of Teachers in Low-Performing Schools. In H. Ladd and E. Fiske with D. Boyd and H. Lankford (Eds.), Handbook of Research in Education Finance and Policy.

Wyckoff, J. with Boyd, D., Goldhaber, D., and Lankford, H. (2007). The Role of Teacher Preparation and Certification in Improving the Quality of K–12 Teachers. In S. Loeb, C. Rouse and A. Shorris (Eds.), Excellence in the Classroom: Policies to Improve the Teacher Workforce (Vol. 17, pp. 45–68).

Working Papers:

Bifulco, R., Ladd, H.F., and Ross, S. (2008). Public School Choice and Integration: Evidence From Durham, North Carolina. CALDER Working Paper 14.

Boyd, D., Lankford, H., Loeb, S., Rockoff, J., and Wyckoff, J. (2007). The Narrowing Gap in New York City Teacher Qualifications and Its Implications For Student Achievement in High Poverty Schools. CALDER Working Paper 10.

Burke, M.A., and T.R. (2008). Classroom Peer Effects and Student Achievement. CALDER Working Paper 18.

Clotfelter, C., Ladd, H.F., and Vigdor, J. (2007). Teacher Credentials and Student Achievement in High School: a Cross-Subject Analysis With Student Fixed Effects. CALDER Working Paper 11.

Clotfelter, C.T., Glennie, E., Ladd, H.F., and Vigdor, J.L. (2006). Would Higher Salaries Keep Teachers in High-Poverty Schools? Evidence From a Policy Intervention in North Carolina. National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper #12285. Presently Under Consideration for Publication in the Journal of Public Economics.

Clotfelter, C.T., Ladd, H.F., and Vigdor, J.L. (2007). How and Why Do Teacher Credentials Matter for Student Achievement? CALDER Working Paper 2.

Clotfelter, C.T., Ladd, H.F., and Vigdor, J.L. (2008). School Segregation Under Color-Blind Jurisprudence: The Case of North Carolina. CALDER Working Paper 16.

Clotfelter, C.T., Ladd, H.F., Vigdor, J.L., and Wheeler, J. (2007). High Poverty Schools and the Distribution of Teachers and Principals. CALDER Working Paper 1.

Clotfelter, C.T., Ladd, H.F., and Vigdor, J.L. (2007). How and Why Do Teacher Credentials Matter for Student Achievement? National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper No. 12828.

Costrell, R.M., and Podgursky, M. (2007). Efficiency and Equity in the Time Pattern of Teacher Pension Benefits: An Analysis of Four State Systems. CALDER Working Paper 6.

Donovan, C., Figlio, D., and Rush, M. (2007). Cramming: The Effects of School Accountability on College-Bound Students. CALDER Working Paper 8.

Figlio, D., and Kenny, L. (2007). Individual Teacher Incentives and Student Performance. CALDER Working Paper 7.

Goldhaber, D. (2007). Everyone's Doing It, But What Does Teacher Testing Tell Us About Teacher Effectiveness? CALDER Working Paper 9.

Goldhaber, D., Gross, B., and Player, D. (2007). Are Public Schools Really Losing Their Best? Assessing the Career Transitions Of Teachers and Their Implications for the Quality of the Teacher Workforce. CALDER Working Paper 12.

Hanushek, E.A., and Rivkin, S. (2006). School Quality and the Black-White Achievement Gap. NBER Working Paper #12651.

Harris, D.N., and Sass, T.R. (2007). Teacher Training, Teacher Quality and Student Achievement. CALDER Working Paper 3.

Harris, D.N., and Sass, T.R. (2007). The Effects of NBPTS-Certified Teachers on Student Achievement. CALDER Working Paper 4.

Podgursky, M., and Ehlert, M. (2007). Teacher Pensions and Retirement Behavior: How Teacher Pension Rules Affect Behavior, Mobility, and Retirement. CALDER Working Paper 5.

Rouse, C.E., Hannaway, J., Goldhaber, D., and Figlio, D. (2007). Feeling the Florida Heat?: How Low-Performing Schools Respond to Voucher and Accountability Pressure. CALDER Working Paper 13.

Vigdor, J., and Ludwig, J. (2007). Segregation and the Black-White Test Score Gap. National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper No. 12988.

Vigdor, J.L. (2008). Teacher Salary Bonuses in North Carolina. CALDER Working Paper 15.

Xu, Z., Hannaway, J., and Taylor, C. (2008). Making a Difference?: The Effects of Teach for America in High School. CALDER Working Paper 17.

Research Notes:

Sass, T.R., and Cartwright, S. (2008) High School Diploma and GED Attainment in Florida. CALDER Research Note 1.

Policy Briefs:

Boyd, D., Lankford, H., Loeb, S., Rockoff, J., and Jwyckoff, J. The Narrowing Gap in New York City Teacher Qualifications and Implications for Student Achievement in High-Poverty Schools. Policy Brief 6.

Hanushek, E.A., and Rivkin, S.G. Do Disadvantaged Urban Schools Lose Their Best Teachers? Policy Brief 7.

Haskins, R., and Loeb, S. A. (2007). Plan to Improve the Quality of Teaching In American Schools. The Future of Children Policy Brief.

NC Education Research Data Center and SERVE. (2006). Teacher Retention at Low Performing Schools.

O'Brien, D. The Texas FERPA Story. Policy Brief 5.

Sass, T.R. The Stability of Value-Added Measures of Teacher Quality and Implications for Teacher Compensation Policy. Policy Brief 4.

Goldhaber, D., and Hansen, M. Assessing the Potential of Using Value-Added Estimates of Teacher Job Performance for Making Tenure Decisions. Policy Brief 3.

Boyd, D., Grossman, P., Lankford, H., Loeb, S., and Wyckoff, J. Overview of Measuring Effect Sizes: The Effect of Measurement Error. Policy Brief 2.

Rivkin, S.G. Value-Added Analysis and Education Policy. Policy Brief 1.

Center Website: http://www.caldercenter.org/.

IES Program Contact: Dr. Elizabeth Albro
Email: Elizabeth.Albro@ed.gov
Telephone: (202) 219-2148