Research suggests that effective teaching is the single most important school-based factor influencing student achievement and other student outcomes. And it may be particularly important to low-income and minority students.
Since 2009, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) has invested $300 million in the Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching (IP) initiative, which aims to improve teaching effectiveness by changing the way districts recruit, retain, and reward teachers. The ultimate goal? Dramatically improve student achievement, graduation rates, and participation in post-secondary education.
RAND and the American Institutes for Research (AIR) were selected to evaluate the initiative, which is funded by BMGF through the 2015-2016 school year. If the IP initiative works and can be replicated at a reasonable cost, it could improve the outlook for millions of students.
