Data Yield Clues to Effectiveness

Eighth grade science teacher Melissa Blondun works with a student at Salem Middle School, in Apex, N.C. The state is among those with comprehensive databases on teachers that researchers say eventually could be used in making a wide range of policy decisions, including matching teachers and students.

—Sara D. Davis for Education Week

The ways of understanding teacher quality are changing as information systems allow states and districts to track educators and their students over time.

By Bess Keller

If you know how much difference good teachers can make—and how hard it might be to spot one from a résumé—you can appreciate the value of new, analytical research being done by those who toil in the realm of “administrative” data kept on teachers.

That label refers to the information kept by states and school districts to track teachers for such purposes as pay and licensure, which is proving to be a treasure trove for officials seeking a better understanding of teacher quality.

The day is not far off, teacher-quality advocates say, when a host of professional and policy decisions could be informed by analysis of data from thousands of teachers and students observed over time. Such longitudinal data allow researchers to measure changes in student achievement—and to link...