Teacher Qualifications and Student Performance: Thesis

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They computed a variety of measures to determine whether there was in fact a narrowing of a gap between teacher qualifications across wealthier and poorer schools and found that there was. This narrowing -- indicative of changes in hiring practices and policies as a result in NCLB, was positively correlated with improved test scores in those districts with higher poverty populations.

The researcher felt there was some possibility, as indicated in the study by Milanowski, Kimball, and White above, that more experience was not necessarily better. This was presumably because educational qualifications become stagnant or outdated over time. In order to test a related question, whether there was some minimal level of qualifications that was necessary, above which additional qualification did not matter, the researcher reviewed the literature. Clotfelter, Ladd, and Vigdor (2006) studied a database of teacher qualifications and students assessment scores for all North Carolina schools and found that the relationship between teacher qualification and student achievement on assessments was positively related, although it could vary from subject to subject. However, having a Master's degree or other advanced training did not necessarily result in improved scores.

Discussion

This research compilation was conducted in order to determine whether teacher qualifications are related to student assessment scores. The findings from the literature indicate that they in fact are. In settings as diverse as major urban areas and small learning centers in rural areas, and across a timeframe spanning from pre- NCLB to a post-NCLB period which seems to indicate its effects, teacher qualifications do seem to be linked to student achievement on test scores. Moreover, this seems to be the case no matter which forms of measurement of teacher qualification are utilized. According to the research literature considered here, completion of teacher certification programs are positively associated with student assessment performance, as are evaluations according to teaching standards.

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Throughout the literature reviewed here, teachers who are more qualified seem to have students who perform better on standardized testing.

There is of course the one caveat noted above. There does seem to be a level of certification which is necessary in order to improve students' scores, but above which additional qualification does not matter. Regarding the possibility that negative association with more experience and assessment performance found by Milanowski, Kimball, and White indicates a similar finding, it remains to be seen whether that finding was due to (statistically irrelevant) additional qualifications or simple teacher malaise.

Finally, it should be noted that the findings above do not necessarily speak to the issue of quality of education. The fact that teacher qualifications are related to student assessment performance could be due to the possibility that the qualified teacher are more likely to know how to prepare a student for high-stakes testing. Teachers who might otherwise be fully capable of inspiring their students to attain quality education may not be schooled in test-prep methods by not having gone through formalized training programs.

Conclusion

The study of the link between teacher qualifications and student assessment performance seems to establish a firm conclusion here that supports the case of NCLB supporters. Teacher qualifications are related to student performance on standardized tests. The researcher reviewed and developed a summary analysis of several important data-based studies that determined the link between teacher qualifications and student assessment performance to be valid across different types of schools, in different regions of the country, and for different time periods. While additional research should be conducted to address the issue of whether there is some optimal level of qualification, this study does establish that such a link exists......

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