This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

Does teacher testing raise teacher quality? Evidence from state certification requirements

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Angrist, Joshua D.
Guryan, Jonathan

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

The education reform movement includes efforts to raise teacher quality through stricter certification and licensing provisions. Most US states now require public school teachers to pass a standardized test such as the Praxis. Although any barrier to entry is likely to raise wages in the affected occupation, the theoretical effects of such requirements on teacher quality are ambiguous. Teacher testing places a floor on whatever skills are measured by the required test, but testing is also costly for applicants. These costs shift teacher supply to the left and may be especially likely to deter high-quality applicants from teaching in public schools. Moreover, test requirements may disqualify some applicants that schools would otherwise want to hire. We use the Schools and Staffing Survey to estimate the effect of state teacher testing requirements on teacher wages and teacher quality as measured by educational background. The results suggest that state-mandated teacher testing is associated with increases in teacher wages, though we find no evidence of a corresponding increase in quality. Consistent with the fact that Hispanics have marked lower licensure scores than non-Hispanic Whites or Blacks, testing appears to reduce the fraction of new teachers who are Hispanic.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6VB9-4PT298X-2/2/62f3931cd0e1211fd1df82e728286b1a
File Format:
File Function:
Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version under "Related research" (further below) or search for a different version of it.

Publisher Info
Article provided by Elsevier in its journal Economics of Education Review.

Volume (Year): 27 (2008)
Issue (Month): 5 (October)
Pages: 483-503
Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:27:y:2008:i:5:p:483-503

Contact details of provider:
Web page: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/econedurev

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Heidi Boesdal).

Related research
Keywords:

Other versions of this item:

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Milton Friedman & Simon Kuznets, 1954. "Income from Independent Professional Practice," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number frie54-1.
  2. Richard B. Freeman & Casey Ichniowski, 1988. "When Public Sector Workers Unionize," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number free88-1.
  3. Guasch, J Luis & Weiss, Andrew, 1980. "Wages as Sorting Mechanisms in Competitive Markets with Asymmetric Information: A Theory of Testing," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 47(4), pages 653-64, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Hanushek, Eric A. & Pace, Richard R., 1995. "Who chooses to teach (and why)?," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 101-117, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Morris M. Kleiner, 2000. "Occupational Licensing," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 14(4), pages 189-202, Fall. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. David N. Figlio, 2002. "Can public schools buy better-qualified teachers?," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, ILR Review, ILR School, Cornell University, vol. 55(4), pages 686-699, July.
  7. Joshua D. Angrist & Jonathan Guryan, 2004. "Teacher Testing, Teacher Education, and Teacher Characteristics," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 94(2), pages 241-246, May. [Downloadable!]
  8. Ballou, Dale, 1996. "Do Public Schools Hire the Best Applicants?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 111(1), pages 97-133, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Kleiner, Morris M & Kudrle, Robert T, 2000. "Does Regulation Affect Economic Outcomes? The Case of Dentistry," Journal of Law & Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 43(2), pages 547-82, October.
  10. Wang, Ruqu & Weiss, Andrew, 1998. "Probation, layoffs, and wage-tenure profiles: A sorting explanation," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 5(3), pages 359-383, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Morris M. Kleiner & Daniel L. Petree, 1988. "Unionism and Licensing of Public School Teachers: Impact on Wages and Educational Output," NBER Chapters, in: When Public Sector Workers Unionize, pages 305-322 National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!]
  12. Eric A. Hanushek & John F. Kain & Steven G. Rivkin, 1999. "Do Higher Salaries Buy Better Teachers?," NBER Working Papers 7082, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Guasch, J Luis & Weiss, Andrew, 1981. "Self-Selection in the Labor Market," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 71(3), pages 275-84, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  14. Leland, Hayne E, 1979. "Quacks, Lemons, and Licensing: A Theory of Minimum Quality Standards," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 87(6), pages 1328-46, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Joshua D. Angrist & Jonathan Guryan, 2004. "Teacher Testing, Teacher Education, and Teacher Characteristics," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 94(2), pages 241-246, May. [Downloadable!]
  2. Hendrik Jürges & Wolfram Richter & Kerstin Schneider, 2004. "Teacher Quality and Incentives: Theoretical and Empirical Effects of Standards on Teacher Quality," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Kugler, Adriana D. & Sauer, Robert M, 2003. "Doctors without Borders: The Returns to an Occupational License for Soviet Immigrant Physicians in Israel," CEPR Discussion Papers 3683, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Kugler, Adriana D. & Sauer, Robert M., 2002. "Doctors Without Borders: The Returns to an Occupational License for Soviet Immigrant Physicians in Israel," IZA Discussion Papers 634, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  5. Kaoru Nabeshima, 2003. "Raising the quality of secondary education in East Asia," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3140, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
  6. V. Joseph Hotz & Mo Xiao, 2005. "The Impact of Minimum Quality Standards on Firm Entry, Exit and Product Quality: The Case of the Child Care Market," Working Papers 05-28, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau. [Downloadable!]
  7. Cory Koedel & Julian Betts, 2007. "Re-Examining the Role of Teacher Quality In the Educational Production Function," Working Papers 0708, Department of Economics, University of Missouri. [Downloadable!]
  8. Yi-Chun Chen & Siyang Xiong, 2008. "Topologies on Types: Connections," Discussion Papers 1470, Northwestern University, Center for Mathematical Studies in Economics and Management Science. [Downloadable!]
  9. Eduardo de Carvalho Andrade & Luciano I. de Castro, 2008. "Tougher Educational Exam Leading to Worse Selection," Discussion Papers 1469, Northwestern University, Center for Mathematical Studies in Economics and Management Science. [Downloadable!]
  10. Richard Buddin & Gena Zamarro, 2008. "Teacher Quality, Teacher Licensure Tests, and Student Achievement," Working Papers 555, RAND Corporation Publications Department. [Downloadable!]
  11. Janet Currie & Matthew Neidell, 2003. "Getting Inside the "Black Box" of Head Start Quality: What Matters and What Doesn't?," NBER Working Papers 10091, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  12. Adriana Kugler & Robert Sauer, 2002. "Doctors without Borders: The Returns to an Occupational License for Soviet Immigrant Physicians in Israel," Economics Working Papers 648, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra. [Downloadable!]
  13. Maresa, SPRIETSMA & Fabio, WALTENBERG, 2005. "The impact of teachersÕ wages on studentsÕ performance in the presence of heterogeneity and endogeneity. Evidence from Brazil," Discussion Papers (ECON - Département des Sciences Economiques) 2005008, Université catholique de Louvain, Département des Sciences Economiques. [Downloadable!]
  14. V. Joseph Hotz & Mo Xiao, 2005. "The Impact of Minimum Quality Standards on Firm Entry, Exit and Product Quality: the Case of the Child Care Market," NBER Working Papers 11873, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  15. Arnaud Chevalier & Peter Dolton, 2004. "The Labour Market for Teachers," Working Papers 200411, School Of Economics, University College Dublin. [Downloadable!]
  16. Marc van der Steeg, 2005. "Why should governments intervene in education, and how effective is education policy," CPB Memoranda 122, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis. [Downloadable!]
Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? All RePEc services are meant to be be free forever, as they are all run by volunteers.

This page was last updated on 2009-11-7.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.