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Educ Asse Eval Acc (2009) 21:209234
DOI 10.1007/s11092-009-9074-2
Received: 23 September 2008 /Accepted: 30 April 2009 / Published online: 26 May 2009# Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2009
Abstract The study investigated several teacher characteristics, with a focus on two measures of teaching experience, and their association with second grade student achievement gains in low performing, high poverty schools in a Mid-Atlantic state. Value-added models using three-level hierarchical linear modeling were used to analyze the data from 1,544 students, 154 teachers, and 53 schools. Results indicated that traditional teacher qualification characteristics such as licensing status and educational attainment were not statistically significant in producing student achievement gains. Total years of teaching experience was also not a significant predictor but a more specific measure, years of teaching experience at a particular grade level, was significantly associated with increased student reading achievement. We caution researchers and policymakers when interpreting results from studies that have used only a general measure of teacher experience as effects are possibly underestimated. Policy implications are discussed.
Keywords Teacher effects . Teacher quality. Reading . HLM . Certification . Teacher experience . Low performing schools
The question of what characteristics make an effective teacher continues to be heavily debated. In recent years, with No Child Left Behinds (NCLB) push for highly qualified teachers, the question becomes even more imperative. For policy makers looking at ways to improve K-12 education, one approach has been to focus on teachers as they
F. L. Huang : T. R. Moon
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA
T. R. Moone-mail: [email protected]
F. L. Huang (*)
Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, P.O. Box 4829, Charlottesville, VA 22905-4829, USAe-mail: [email protected]
Is experience the best teacher? A multilevel analysis of teacher characteristics and student achievement in low performing schools
Francis L. Huang & Tonya R. Moon
210 Educ Asse Eval Acc (2009) 21:209234
continue to be the school systems principal resource (Wayne and Youngs 2003). The logic is that more qualified teachers should be able to help students learn more effectively, as evidenced by student gain scores from year to year. Identifying the determinants of teacher quality in promoting student achievement, however, has been less clear and continues to be an important area of focus in educational research....