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Assessing teacher quality in India

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  • Azam, Mehtabul
  • Kingdon, Geeta Gandhi

Abstract

Using administrative data from linked private schools from one Indian district that matches 8319 pupils to their subject specific teachers at the senior secondary level, we estimate the importance of individual teachers for student outcomes in the high-stake senior secondary exam (at the end of twelfth-grade) controlling for prior achievement at the secondary level (at the end of tenth-grade). In addition to controlling for prior achievement, we exploit the fact that students took exams in multiple subjects during their senior secondary exam to control for pupil fixed effects. We find a considerable variability in teacher effectiveness over a two year course—a one standard deviation improvement in teacher quality adds 0.366 standard deviation points in students score. Furthermore, consistent with studies in the US, we find that although teacher quality matters, the observed characteristics explain little of the variability in teacher quality.

Suggested Citation

  • Azam, Mehtabul & Kingdon, Geeta Gandhi, 2015. "Assessing teacher quality in India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 74-83.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:deveco:v:117:y:2015:i:c:p:74-83
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2015.07.001
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    2. Paredes, Tatiana & Sevilla, Almudena, 2024. "The impact of incentivizing training on students’ outcomes," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 120931, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    3. Jan Bietenbeck & Marc Piopiunik & Simon Wiederhold, 2018. "Africa’s Skill Tragedy: Does Teachers’ Lack of Knowledge Lead to Low Student Performance?," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 53(3), pages 553-578.
    4. Sakshi & Sabina Bano, 2023. "Gender disparity in literacy in Uttar Pradesh: a spatial analysis," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-12, December.
    5. Sanfo, Jean-Baptiste M.B. & Malgoubri, Inoussa, 2023. "Teaching quality and student learning achievements in Ethiopian primary education: How effective is instructional quality in closing socioeconomic learning achievement inequalities?," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    6. Goel, Deepti & Barooah, Bidisha, 2018. "Drivers of Student Performance: Evidence from Higher Secondary Public Schools in Delhi," GLO Discussion Paper Series 231, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    7. Sayoree Gooptu & Vivekananda Mukherjee, 2023. "School dropout and overeducation in developing economies: Feasibility of a budgetary solution†," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(2), pages 825-852, May.
    8. Lee Crawfurd & Caine Rolleston, 2020. "Long‐run effects of teachers in developing countries," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(4), pages 1279-1299, November.
    9. Valente, Christine, 2019. "Primary education expansion and quality of schooling," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    10. Rakshit, Sonali & Sahoo, Soham, 2023. "Biased teachers and gender gap in learning outcomes: Evidence from India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    11. Filmer,Deon P. & Nahata,Vatsal & Sabarwal,Shwetlena, 2021. "Preparation, Practice, and Beliefs : A Machine Learning Approach to Understanding Teacher Effectiveness," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9847, The World Bank.
    12. Marshall, Lydia & Moore, Rhiannon, 2022. "Does school effectiveness differentially benefit boys and girls? Evidence from Ethiopia, India and Vietnam," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Teacher value-added; Teacher quality; Student achievement; India;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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