Differences in elementary students’ academic achievement can be attributed in part to where their teachers got their professional training, according to researchers from the Center for Education Data and Research, at the University of Washington Bothell.
Focusing on data for Washington state, the researchers found differences in efficacy between graduates of different certification programs across the state that were at least as significant as those associated with teachers’ years of experience and degree levels. The effects were noted in mathematics and reading scores in general and among subgroups of students.
The study cautions, however, that the variation among programs is not as great as the variation among individual teachers from each program. But the researchers argue that the fact that certain training programs produce better results suggests that improved training programs could lead to improved student results.
