Recent research has documented the importance of teachers to student achievement, and many factors, ranging from teachers’ verbal ability to their subject matter preparation, contribute to teacher effectiveness. Demographic changes and new policies, such as class size reduction, have increased the demand for new teachers. Along with the demand for new teachers is a need to better understand effective teacher preparation programs that encourage individuals to enter teaching and provide the skills new teachers need to succeed in the classroom.
Our research in this area is ongoing. We analyze the various pathways into teaching in New York City schools to identify the characteristics of teacher education programs that contribute to student learning and achievement. We examine the choices individuals make in selecting their pathway into teaching and how the various pathways intersect with the schools in which they first teach. We ask and answer the question: “How do the achievement gains of students differ by the teaching pathway of their teachers?” The paper below is a first exploration of the interrelationship between teachers, pathways and student achievement in New York City schools from 1998 to 2004.
Measuring Effect Sizes: The Effect of Measurement Error. June 2008. Donald Boyd, Pam Grossman, Hamilton Lankford, Susanna Loeb, and James Wyckoff.
In this paper we focus on two issues pertaining to how effect sizes are measured. We argue that model coefficients should be compared to the standard deviation of gain scores, not the standard deviation of scores, in calculating most effect sizes. Second, we develop a measure that accounts for test measurement error. Since the standard deviation of observed scores in the denominator of the effect-size measure reflects measurement error as well as the dispersion in the true academic achievement of students, it overstates variability in achievement. We apply these adjustements to student assessments in New York City and find that effect-size estimates based on the dispersion in gain scores net of test measurement error are four times larger than effect sizes typically measured. We explore the implications for such an adjustment to the estimated effect sizes of teacher qualifications on student achievement. Research Paper
The Narrowing Gap in New York City Teacher Qualifications and Its Implications for Student Achievement in High-Poverty Schools. May 2008. Donald Boyd, Hamilton Lankford, Susanna Loeb, Jonah Rockoff, and James Wyckoff.
No Child Left Behind, state assessment-based accountability policies and new routes into teaching have all had profound effects on the labor market for teachers. In this research we explore how the distribution of teacher qualifications and student achievement in New York City have changed from 2000 through 2005 using data on teachers and students. The paper examines the role that readily observed measures of teacher qualifications have on student achievement. Research Paper, Policy Brief.
Who Leaves? Teacher Attrition and Student Achievement. September 2007. Donald Boyd, Pam Grossman, Hamilton Lankford, Susanna Loeb, and James Wyckoff.
Teacher attrition has attracted considerable attention as many federal, state and local policies intended to improve student outcomes focus on recruiting and retaining more qualified and effective teachers. However, policy makers are often frustrated by the seeming high rates of attrition among teachers early in their careers. This paper considers patterns of attrition and retention among teachers in New York City elementary and middle schools and explores the crucial question as to whether teachers who transfer among schools or leave teaching entirely are more or less effective than those who remain. We also consider how teacher attrition may enhance or reduce the misdistribution of teacher quality by the race, income and achievement of students in those schools. Our findings raise questions about current retention and transfer policies. Research Paper
How Changes in Entry Requirements Alter the Teacher Workforce and Affect Student Achievement. November 2005. Donald Boyd, Hamilton Lankford, Pamela Grossman, Susanna Loeb, and James Wyckoff. Research Paper, Policy Brief.