Sequence, Cumulation, and Causation: Teachers' Effects on Student Achievement From a Cumulative Perspective

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Abstract

The differences in how teacher effectiveness promotes student achievement is well-documented in the literature. However, most research concentrates on the effects of individual teachers on student outcomes, empirical evidence related to being taught by effective or ineffective teachers year after year is less clear. To address this gap and advance our understanding of teacher effects, we examined the cumulative effect of teachers on student achievement using data from Tennessee’s Student-Teacher Achievement Ratio class-size experiment wherein students and teachers were randomly matched. We found that students taught by one additional highly effective teacher had higher achievement scores. students who were taught by highly effective teachers (i.e., compared to ineffective teachers) for three years had approximately 7 months of learning growth difference.

Authors

• Se Woong Lee, University of Missouri - Columbia

• Soobin Choi, University of Missouri - Columbia