The Effective Teaching Gap

Reducing the student achievement gap between students from low-income and high-income families may be more difficult than redistributing effective teachers, according to a recent study.

Based on data collected from 26 public school districts over the course of five years, access to effective teachers is nearly equal between low- and high-income students, with the average teacher effectiveness being about 1 percent higher for high-income students.

Furthermore, estimates show that redistributing effective teachers to close this gap would only have a marginal effect on improving state testing scores for low-income students. For example, estimates show the student achievement gap between low-income and high-income eighth graders would only shrink .3 points in reading and 2.2 points in math.

More effective solutions to reduce the student achievement gap may include:

• Expansion of tutoring
• Implementing early-learning programs
• Coaching teachers

For more information on the topic, check out Estimating the “Effective Teaching Gap” on the Education Next website.