This project will examine factors that influence teacher career choices including whether to enter teaching, where to teach and how long to stay as well as teachers' contribution to student learning in mathematics. It seeks to provide answers to two major questions: 1) How can elementary and secondary schools attract and retain highly effective mathematics and science teachers? and 2) How can traditional and alternative teacher preparation programs best prepare people to teach math and science?
The research design will extend and connect existing research on teacher preparation and teacher labor markets. The career choices of aspiring and practicing math and science teachers will be analyzed using models drawn from the labor market literature including multinomial logit models of teacher choices and two-sided matching models that incorporate both school preferences and teacher preferences, supplemented with statistical and descriptive analyses of interview data. Teachers' contributions to student math learning will be analyzed using value-added econometric models that incorporate attributes of teacher preparation pathways as independent variables, with appropriate attention to issues of selection bias and data issues.
The project will focus on NYC and use existing data plus new data. The existing databases include: 1) data describing career paths, qualifications and characteristics of aspiring and practicing math and science teachers from State and NYC Education departments; 2) data on school environments; 3) surveys of participants in major math and science teacher preparation programs; 4) surveys of newly entering school teachers; 5) detailed data describing teacher preparation programs; 6) student level data from grade 3 -5 citywide standardized math scores.
This project is jointly funded by the Research on Learning and Education Program and the Division of Undergraduate Education's Teacher Professional Development Program
