LOST IN TRANSLATION? TEACHER TRAINING AND OUTCOMES IN HIGH SCHOOL ECONOMICS CLASSES |
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| Authors: | ROBERT G VALLETTA K JODY HOFF JANE S LOPUS |
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| Institution: | 1. +1‐415‐974‐3345+1‐415‐977‐4084;2. Department of Economic Research, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, , San Francisco, CA 94105;3. 415‐974‐2952415‐974‐3341;4. Department of Economic Education, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, , San Francisco, CA 94105;5. 510‐885‐3140510‐558‐8033;6. Department of Economics, California State University, East Bay, , Hayward, CA 94542 |
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| Abstract: | Using data from a 2006 survey of California high school economics classes, we assess the effects of teacher characteristics on student achievement. We estimate value‐added models of outcomes on multiple choice and essay exams, with matched classroom pairs for each teacher enabling random‐effects and fixed‐effects estimation. The results show a substantial impact of specialized teacher experience and college‐level coursework in economics. However, the latter is associated with higher scores on the multiple‐choice test and lower scores on the essay test, suggesting that a portion of teachers' content knowledge may be “lost in translation” when conveyed to their students. (JEL A21, I21) |
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