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Tucson, Arizona | Published:
http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/132854
CHICAGO — A comprehensive study released Thursday has finally proven what
anecdotal evidence has long suggested: Poorly qualified teachers drag down
student achievement.
The first-of-its kind study demonstrated that elementary- and high-school
students — even those in middle-and upper-income families — post higher
scores on state exams and are more prepared for college if they attend
schools where teacher quality is ranked high.
Low-income and minority children benefit the most from good teachers, the
study found. In Illinois' poorest elementary schools with low teacher
quality, the average pass rate on state tests was 31 percent. But in similar
low-income schools with higher-ranked teachers, the rate jumped to 43
percent, research revealed.
The researchers evaluated teachers in Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio, ranking
schools according to a teacher quality score.
In Illinois, that score was determined by five factors: the average college
entrance exam score of all teachers in the school; results on the teacher
licensing test of basic skills; a national ranking of college attended;
years of experience; and number of teachers with provisional credentials.
All of the state's 3,800 public schools were evaluated.
"We now know that all kinds of kids, poor, rich, minority, white are
affected by their teacher's ability," said Kati Haycock, who heads Education
Trust, the Washington think tank that helped underwrite the study. "The
research shows that kids who have two, three, four strong teachers in a row
will eventually excel, no matter what their background, while kids who have
even two weak teachers in a row will never recover."
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