Supplying Disadvantaged Schools with Effective Teachers: Experimental Evidence on Secondary Math Teachers from Teach For America. (13th October 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chiang, Hanley S.; Clark, Melissa A.; McConnell, Sheena
• Is Part Of: Journal of policy analysis and management. Volume 36:issue 1(2017)
• Page Start: 97
• Page End: 125
• Publication Date: 2016-10-13
• Subjects: Policy sciences -- Periodicals; Political planning -- United States -- Periodicals; United States -- Social policy -- Periodicals; 353
• DOI: 10.1002/pam.21958
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0276-8739

Abstract

Abstract: Teach For America (TFA) is an important but controversial source of teachers for hard‐to‐staff subjects in high‐poverty U.S. schools. We present findings from the first large‐scale experimental study of secondary math teachers from TFA. We find that TFA teachers are more effective than other math teachers in the same schools, increasing student math achievement by 0.07 standard deviations over one school year. Addressing concerns about the fact that TFA requires only a two‐year commitment, we find that TFA teachers in their first two years of teaching are more effective than more experienced non‐TFA teachers in the same schools.