TY  - JOUR
AU  - Jacob,Brian A.
AU  - Lefgren,Lars
TI  - The Impact of Teacher Training on Student Achievement: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from School Reform Efforts in Chicago
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 8916
PY  - 2002
Y2  - April 2002
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w8916
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w8916.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Brian Jacob
Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
University of Michigan
735 South State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Tel: 734-615-6994
Fax: NA
E-Mail: bajacob@umich.edu

Lars Lefgren
Department of Economics
Brigham Young University
130 Faculty Office Bulding
Provo, UT 84602-2363
Tel: (801) 422-5169
E-Mail: l-lefgren@byu.edu
AB  - While there is a substantial literature on the relationship between general teacher characteristics and student learning, school districts and states often rely on in-service teacher training as a part of school reform efforts.  Recent school reform efforts in Chicago provide an opportunity to examine in-service training using a quasi-experimental research design.  In this paper, we use a regression discontinuity strategy to estimate the effect of teacher training on the math and reading performance of elementary students.  We find that marginal increases in-service training have no statistically or academically significant effect on either reading or math achievement, suggesting that modest investments in staff development may not be sufficient to increase the achievement of elementary school children in high poverty schools.
ER  -