The Impact of Teacher Training on Student Achievement: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from School Reform Efforts in Chicago / Brian A. Jacob, Lars Lefgren.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Jacob, Brian A.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Lefgren, Lars.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w8916.

NBER working paper series no. w8916

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Other Title:

The Impact of Teacher Training on Student Achievement

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2002.

Summary:

While there is a substantial literature on the relationship between general teacher characteristics and student learning, school districts and states often rely on in-service teacher training as a part of school reform efforts. Recent school reform efforts in Chicago provide an opportunity to examine in-service training using a quasi-experimental research design. In this paper, we use a regression discontinuity strategy to estimate the effect of teacher training on the math and reading performance of elementary students. We find that marginal increases in-service training have no statistically or academically significant effect on either reading or math achievement, suggesting that modest investments in staff development may not be sufficient to increase the achievement of elementary school children in high poverty schools.

Notes:

Print version record

April 2002.