In the most recent edition of Teachers College Record, Spyros Konstantopoulos examines the long-term benefits of teacher effects on student achievement in early elementary grades. Konstantopoulos uses experimental data from Tennessee’s Student Teacher Achievement Ratio Study (Project STAR) for his study, and focused on two specific areas: 1) Determining the persistence of teacher effects in early grades; and 2)Assessing whether those effects remain strong predictors of student achievement or fade between kindergarten and third grade.
He classified teacher effects as classroom-specific random effects, and then used this data as predictors of student achievement in subsequent years. Using multilevel models for analysis, his results suggest that overall teacher effects in early grades are evident through third grade in reading and mathematics achievement. This means that a kindergarten teacher’s effects can be seen in student achievement through third grade—a notable legacy!
This supports the idea that teachers do matter significantly in student achievement over time, but particularly in reading. He concludes that students who receive effective teachers (classified as teachers at the 85th percentile of the teacher effectiveness distribution) in kindergarten through second grade experience considerable increases in reading achievement (about 1/3 of a standard deviation, or an additional one-third of a year’s growth in achievement). This effect is comparable to the effects of smaller class sizes in early grades on achievement.
The study highlights the importance of identifying and hiring effective teachers in the early grades and employing regular professional development opportunities to improve teacher effectiveness. To read the full report, visit http://www.tcrecord.org/content.asp?contentid=16099
