An investigation of the differential impact of teacher characteristics and attitudes on student mathematics achievement using a value-added approach

The ability of teachers to raise student academic achievement varies but the reasons are not always clear. Differences among teachers account for an important portion of the achievement differences among students. This study examines the differences in teacher characteristics and teacher effects between 223 teachers who were linked to 12,369 students in grades 5 through 8. Each teacher was linked to 12 or more students, averaging 55 students per teacher. A statistical estimate of the degree to which teachers influenced student achievement that took into account student prior achievement and student characteristics was computed using a two-level HLM model. The differences in student mathematics achievement scores among teachers were quantified as teacher effects.;Previous research has suggested teacher characteristics may contribute to explaining the differences in student mathematics achievement. These characteristics included teacher experience, certification and degree types, gender and race/ethnicity. It was also hypothesized that teacher attitudes such as level of expectations of student performance, attitudes toward teaching and learning, teacher morale and job stress, and perceptions of school discipline and safety could assist in explaining the differences in teacher effects. Factors developed from a district wide teacher attitudinal survey, taken by 85 of the 223 teachers in the study. These 85 teachers were linked to 4,748 students. The teacher survey was used to assess the potential impact of certain teacher attitudes on student mathematics achievement.;The estimated teacher effects were tested for the magnitude of their impact on student achievement gains. Being certified by the state of Texas to teach mathematics in grades 5-8 was the only teacher characteristic that had a statistically significant effect on gains in student achievement. Teacher demographic characteristics such as race/ethnicity, gender, and years of teaching experience had no effect on student achievement gains. While teacher effects accounted for only about 6% of the total variance of student mathematics achievement, the impact on student achievement was considerable. The research examined labor deployment strategies that linked students' achievement levels with different degrees of teacher effects. Implications of such deployments were also examined. Top quartile teachers enabled low achieving students to pass the required state mathematics examination while "average" students could progress to the recommended level of achievement. Teachers in the bottom quartile effects dragged down high achieving students to "average" levels and "average" students were pushed toward failure. Differences between individual teachers accounted for an important portion of the achievement differences among students. This study indicates the allocation of effective teachers has profound implications for students.;Student learning was measured using the first administration of the 2007 Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills mathematics tests. The achievement results were analyzed using two measurement scales, percent correct and percentile ranks (normed from state level data). Student variables included prior achievement measures, information used by the state to describe students (grade, demographics and educational status), and measures of student mobility and promotional status. A single urban school district in Texas provided the teacher and student data. This Title I school district is composed primarily of minority students with more than 80% of the student body on free and reduced lunch.