IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/atlecj/v50y2022i3d10.1007_s11293-022-09759-0.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Estimating Teacher Quality: Comparing Objective and Subjective Measures

Author

Listed:
  • Mira G. Potter-Schwartz

    (University of Pennsylvania)

Abstract

Teacher quality is widely considered to be an important contributor towards student academic success. However, there is no universally agreed upon method to measure teacher quality and, often, different measures of teacher quality reveal different information about teachers. This paper examines the academic achievement of Mexican sixth grade students utilizing data from surveys administered to students, teachers, and parents, to assess measures of teacher quality. Two different methods of measuring teacher quality, subjective student evaluations of teachers and objective value-added estimates of teachers’ contribution to students’ academic performance, are identified and compared. The subjective measure of teacher quality is estimated based on student responses to questions about their teachers’ behaviors. The objective measure estimates the change in students’ standardized test scores across two consecutive years that can be attributed to their teachers. Estimates of the relationship between subjective and objective measures of teacher quality indicate that the measures capture similar information, but that discrepancies between the measures also exist. The analysis provides support for comprehensive student and value-added evaluations of teachers.

Suggested Citation

  • Mira G. Potter-Schwartz, 2022. "Estimating Teacher Quality: Comparing Objective and Subjective Measures," Atlantic Economic Journal, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 50(3), pages 159-170, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:atlecj:v:50:y:2022:i:3:d:10.1007_s11293-022-09759-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s11293-022-09759-0
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11293-022-09759-0
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11293-022-09759-0?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jonah E. Rockoff & Cecilia Speroni, 2010. "Subjective and Objective Evaluations of Teacher Effectiveness," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 100(2), pages 261-266, May.
    2. Thomas J. Kane & Douglas O. Staiger, 2008. "Estimating Teacher Impacts on Student Achievement: An Experimental Evaluation," NBER Working Papers 14607, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Raj Chetty & John N. Friedman & Jonah E. Rockoff, 2014. "Measuring the Impacts of Teachers II: Teacher Value-Added and Student Outcomes in Adulthood," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(9), pages 2633-2679, September.
    4. Brian A. Jacob & Lars Lefgren, 2008. "Can Principals Identify Effective Teachers? Evidence on Subjective Performance Evaluation in Education," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 26(1), pages 101-136.
    5. Raj Chetty & John N. Friedman & Jonah E. Rockoff, 2014. "Measuring the Impacts of Teachers I: Evaluating Bias in Teacher Value-Added Estimates," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(9), pages 2593-2632, September.
    6. Karthik Muralidharan & Ketki Sheth, 2016. "Bridging Education Gender Gaps in Developing Countries: The Role of Female Teachers," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 51(2), pages 269-297.
    7. Winters, Marcus A. & Haight, Robert C. & Swaim, Thomas T. & Pickering, Katarzyna A., 2013. "The effect of same-gender teacher assignment on student achievement in the elementary and secondary grades: Evidence from panel data," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 69-75.
    8. de Hoyos, Rafael & Estrada, Ricardo & Vargas, María José, 2018. "Predicting Individual Wellbeing Through Test Scores: Evidence from a National Assessment in Mexico," Research Department working papers 1187, CAF Development Bank Of Latinamerica.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Azam, Mehtabul & Kingdon, Geeta Gandhi, 2015. "Assessing teacher quality in India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 74-83.
    2. M. Caridad Araujo & Pedro Carneiro & Yyannú Cruz-Aguayo & Norbert Schady, 2016. "Teacher Quality and Learning Outcomes in Kindergarten," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 131(3), pages 1415-1453.
    3. Ingo E. Isphording & Ulf Zölitz, 2020. "The value of a peer," ECON - Working Papers 342, Department of Economics - University of Zurich.
    4. Stacy, Brian & Guarino, Cassandra & Wooldridge, Jeffrey, 2018. "Does the precision and stability of value-added estimates of teacher performance depend on the types of students they serve?," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 50-74.
    5. Goldhaber, Dan & Krieg, John & Theobald, Roddy, 2020. "Effective like me? Does having a more productive mentor improve the productivity of mentees?," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    6. Koedel, Cory & Mihaly, Kata & Rockoff, Jonah E., 2015. "Value-added modeling: A review," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 180-195.
    7. Rita Ginja & Julie Riise & Barton Willage & Alexander L.P. Willén, 2022. "Does Your Doctor Matter? Doctor Quality and Patient Outcomes," CESifo Working Paper Series 9788, CESifo.
    8. Figlio, D. & Karbownik, K. & Salvanes, K.G., 2016. "Education Research and Administrative Data," Handbook of the Economics of Education,, Elsevier.
    9. Bruhn, Jesse & Imberman, Scott & Winters, Marcus, 2022. "Regulatory arbitrage in teacher hiring and retention: Evidence from Massachusetts Charter Schools," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 215(C).
    10. Eric Parsons & Cory Koedel & Li Tan, 2019. "Accounting for Student Disadvantage in Value-Added Models," Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics, , vol. 44(2), pages 144-179, April.
    11. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/1jgbspo1909q48svne93o55rca is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Evan Riehl & Meredith Welch, 2023. "Accountability, Test Prep Incentives, and the Design of Math and English Exams," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 42(1), pages 60-96, January.
    13. Alexis Le Chapelain, 2014. "Market for education and student achievement [Marché de l’éducation et réussite scolaire]," SciencePo Working papers tel-03510563, HAL.
    14. Gershenson, Seth, 2021. "Identifying and Producing Effective Teachers," IZA Discussion Papers 14096, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    15. Alexis Le Chapelain, 2014. "Market for Education and Student Achievement," Sciences Po publications info:hdl:2441/1jgbspo1909, Sciences Po.
    16. Alexis Le Chapelain, 2014. "Market for education and student achievement [Marché de l’éducation et réussite scolaire]," SciencePo Working papers Main tel-03510563, HAL.
    17. Cassandra M. Guarino & Michelle Maxfield & Mark D. Reckase & Paul N. Thompson & Jeffrey M. Wooldridge, 2015. "An Evaluation of Empirical Bayes’s Estimation of Value-Added Teacher Performance Measures," Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics, , vol. 40(2), pages 190-222, April.
    18. 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.
    19. Michael Bates & Michael Dinerstein & Andrew C. Johnston & Isaac Sorkin, 2022. "Teacher Labor Market Equilibrium and Student Achievement," CESifo Working Paper Series 9551, CESifo.
    20. 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).
    21. Michael Dinerstein & Isaac M. Opper, 2022. "Screening with Multitasking," CESifo Working Paper Series 9869, CESifo.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:atlecj:v:50:y:2022:i:3:d:10.1007_s11293-022-09759-0. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.