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Teaching Students and Teaching Each Other: The Importance of Peer Learning for Teachers

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  • C. Kirabo Jackson
  • Elias Bruegmann

Abstract

Using longitudinal elementary school teacher and student data, we document that students have larger test score gains when their teachers experience improvements in the observable characteristics of their colleagues. Using within-school and within-teacher variation, we show that a teacher's students have larger achievement gains in math and reading when she has more effective colleagues (based on estimated value-added from an out-of-sample pre-period). Spillovers are strongest for less experienced teachers and persist over time, and historical peer quality explains away about 20 percent of the own-teacher effect, results that suggest peer learning. (JEL I21, J24, J45)

Suggested Citation

  • C. Kirabo Jackson & Elias Bruegmann, 2009. "Teaching Students and Teaching Each Other: The Importance of Peer Learning for Teachers," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 1(4), pages 85-108, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejapp:v:1:y:2009:i:4:p:85-108
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/app.1.4.85
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J45 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Public Sector Labor Markets

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    1. Teaching Students and Teaching Each Other: The Importance of Peer Learning for Teachers (American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 2009) in ReplicationWiki

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