Teachers and Student Achievement in the Chicago Public High Schools

TLDR

The study estimates the impact of teacher quality on student achievement in Chicago public high schools using matched student‑teacher administrative data. The authors estimate teacher importance by matching student and teacher administrative records. A one‑standard‑deviation increase in math teacher quality raises student math scores by 0.13 grade equivalents per semester, a stable effect that is strongest for lower‑ability students and cannot be explained by traditional human‑capital measures.

Abstract

We estimate the importance of teachers in Chicago public high schools using matched student‐teacher administrative data. A one standard deviation, one semester improvement in math teacher quality raises student math scores by 0.13 grade equivalents or, over 1 year, roughly one‐fifth of average yearly gains. Estimates are relatively stable over time, reasonably impervious to a variety of conditioning variables, and do not appear to be driven by classroom sorting or selective score reporting. Also, teacher quality is particularly important for lower‐ability students. Finally, traditional human capital measures—including those determining compensation—explain little of the variation in estimated quality.