- Evaluation Studies Underway
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Teacher Effectiveness
- Teacher Prep—program experiences
- Teacher Prep/cert—selective alt. cert.
- Teacher Prep/cert — nonselective alt. cert.
- Teacher Prep—Residency model
- Teacher Prep—early reading
- Teacher Prep—NRC synthesis
- Teacher Prep/cert—NBPTS
- Impact Study of Feedback for Teachers Based on Classroom Videos
- Teacher PD—data driven instruction
- Teacher PD—elementary math
- Teacher PD—middle school math
- Teacher PD—elementary reading
- Teacher PD—induction
- Principal PD—instructional leadership
- Teacher Incentives—TIF
- Educator Evaluation—Pilot System
- Teacher Incentives—to move teachers
- Study of Title II, Part A Use of Funds
- Equity—access to effective teachers
- Choice
- English Language Learning
- Students with Disabilities
- Pathways to Career or College
- Other Evaluations
- Technical Assistance
An Evaluation of Teachers Trained Through Different Routes to Certification
Contractor: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
Key Staff:
Paul Decker, MPR, Inc.
Jill Constantine, MPR, Inc.
Research Questions:
- What are the relative effects on student achievement of teachers who chose to be trained through different routes to certification? How do observed teacher practices vary by chosen route to certification?
- What aspects of certification programs (e.g., amount of coursework, timing of coursework relative to being the lead teacher in the classroom, core coursework content) are associated with teacher effectiveness?
Design: The study will evaluate the effects of different amounts of teacher preparation on student achievement, taking advantage of the existing variation in teacher training across different routes to certification-both alternative and traditional.
A pair of new teachers in the same grade were formed at each of 80 schools included in the study, with one teacher having taken the traditional route and one the alternative route to certification. Students were randomly assigned to teachers in the pair, and student test scores will be compared. As part of the study design, teacher pairs were selected to permit different analyses. Pairs that include teachers in low coursework alternative programs and teachers in high coursework traditional certification programs provide information about the impact of differing amounts of teacher training; pairs that include teachers in high coursework alternative programs and teachers in high coursework traditional certification programs provide information about the impact of training prior to hiring (traditional routes) versus training on-the-job (alternative routes). Combining results from both types of analyses, and statistically controlling for the types of teachers who choose to participate in each route and whom the selected school hires, provides evidence on the characteristics of teacher preparation that may matter most in improving test scores. Data collection began in 2004 and includes student records, pre- and post-test scores, and measures of teacher practice. The study sample includes 1 year of data collection for two teacher cohorts (cohort 1 in school year 2004/05, and cohort 2 in school year 2005/06).
Duration: 4 years (October 1, 2003–December 30, 2008).
Reports: The final report on this study will be announced on http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/.
Current Status: (August 2008) This report is undergoing IES peer review.