Measuring Teacher Effectiveness Research and Commentary

RAND researchers are nationally recognized for having examined and evaluated methods of measuring teacher effectiveness, as well as the critical relationship between teacher effectiveness and student achievement.

To the right, you can explore the full Measuring Teacher Effectiveness Fact Sheet Series. Below, you can catch up on the latest related commentary, research briefs, and full reports.

Latest Research and Commentary

Commentary
Teachers Have Lost Out on Professional Development. Summer Programs Could Help
Mar 5, 2021

For thousands of teachers across the United States, 2020 was a year of uncertainty. Many lacked access to their usual professional learning activities. Summer programs for students that also offer learning opportunities for teachers might help make up for lost time.
Report
How Are Educators Teaching and Leading Through the Pandemic?
Jun 22, 2020

U.S. teachers and principals shifted quickly to support students with distance learning during the early weeks of the coronavirus crisis. But unfortunately, the pandemic is likely to make existing inequalities worse.
Research Brief
How Teacher Effectiveness Spills Over into Other Classrooms
May 28, 2019

Teachers' effectiveness ripples out beyond their own students and affects the experiences of their pupils' future peers. Ignoring these "spillover" effects underestimates a teacher's value by at least 30 percent.
Journal Article
Teachers Can Make a Difference Beyond Their Own Classrooms
Apr 3, 2019

Schools may be undervaluing good teachers by at least 30 percent. How? Because they aren't considering the spillover effects that better-educated students have on their peers.
Research Brief
Results from the Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching Initiative
Feb 11, 2019

A multiyear effort aimed at increasing students' access to effective teaching failed to achieve its goals for improved student achievement and graduation. However, the participating school districts and charter management organizations did implement better measures of teaching effectiveness.
Report
How Do Teachers Respond to Feedback?
Jul 9, 2018

Education leaders across the United States have revised their policies in an effort to enhance the quality of teacher evaluation measures and instructional practices. A unique survey asked teachers about their perceptions of the feedback they receive and the evaluation systems at their schools.
Report
Impacts of the Intensive Partnerships Initiative
Jun 21, 2018

The Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching initiative enhanced how teachers are evaluated and improved teacher staffing policies. But it did not lead to gains in student achievement or graduation rates.
Report
Will School Renovations Impact Students, Teachers, and Communities?
May 24, 2018

Baltimore will renovate or replace more than two dozen public school buildings. How could these changes affect students, school staff, school conditions, and the surrounding community?
Report
American Teachers Could Use More Time to Collaborate
Feb 28, 2018

Teacher collaboration is a key part of long-term career development for educators. But less than one-third of U.S. teachers say they have sufficient time to work with their peers.
Report
The Majority of Teachers Aren't Clear on the Reading Instruction Approaches Most Aligned with State Standards
Feb 21, 2018

English language arts teachers could increase their use of more complex, text-based practices if they received clearer guidance from states and districts about what is expected. They also need better supports and curriculum resources to engage in those approaches.