I realize I’m entering shark-infested waters here, and that hordes of smart people have spent their careers thinking about these issues before me, but a new study on the specific, lifetime value of teachers adds an important dimension to this debate.
The high-profile study, which followed 2.5 million kids over 20 years, found that teacher quality, as measured by test scores, predicted pretty amazing results.
- An outstanding forth-grade teacher — yes, just the forth-grade teacher — delivers $25,000 in more income to each student over his or her lifetime
- A very poor teacher has the same effect as a pupil missing 40 percent of the school year
- The study also found that high-quality teachers brought stability to their student’s lives outside of just better paying jobs (although one may naturally follow the other). According to Michelle Rhee in Education Week:
The kids with more effective teachers had lower teen-pregnancy rates and higher college-enrollment rates than their peers. They also had higher earnings, lived in better neighborhoods, and even saved more for retirement.
Paull et All 