Kindergarten Teachers' Qualifications and Student Achievement (2013)

Undergraduate: Michael Little

Faculty Advisor: Douglas Lauen
Department: Public Policy

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This study examines the effects of various teacher characteristics on the academic achievement gains of Kindergarten students in mathematics and reading. The specific teacher characteristics of interest in this study include measures of teacher experience, degree level, certification type, and coursework concentrations in teacher preparation programs. This study adds to the current academic literature on the relationship between teacher characteristics and academic achievement by investigating effects at the Kindergarten grade level. Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) is used to estimate the effects of these characteristics on achievement gains in mathematics and reading. The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K), public use data set is used to conduct the analysis.
The results of the study find that some teacher characteristics matter, yet solid determinants of teacher-quality, as measured by readily observable teacher characteristics, remain unclear.