A Quarterback Problem

Find better teachers is usually one of the first options people give when asked how we can improve education. The problem is that we don't really have a system in place to do that and there doesn't seem to be much of an interest in producing one. We require teachers to acquire master degrees, to attend workshops, we apply test scores and encourage continuing education. The problem is those tools don't necessarily mean you are finding better teachers, it means you are trying to produce them.

A group of researchers—Thomas J. Kane, an economist at Harvard’s school of education; Douglas Staiger, an economist at Dartmouth; and Robert Gordon, a policy analyst at the Center for American Progress—have investigated whether it helps to have a teacher who has earned a teaching certification or a master’s degree. Both are expensive, time-consuming credentials that almost every district expects teachers to acquire; neither makes a difference in the classroom. Test scores, graduate degrees, and certifications—as much as they appear related to teaching prowess—turn out to be about as useful in predicting success as having a quarterback throw footballs into a bunch of garbage cans.

Malcolm Gladwell's article, linked above, is an interesting look at the problem using something dear to my heart, football scouting.

The problem is that it is incredibly hard to translate skills from college to skills in the pros, or in the case of education in the classroom. A lot of people thought Ryan Leaf and David Klingler were going to be great quarterbacks. If you aren't a football fan, both were stars in the college ranks and jokes in the pros.

I would say the problem goes a bit further than that. Some college stars that turned into jokes did so in part because the team's they went to never surrounded them with the proper talent, were tutored by bad coaches, were rushed into the spotlight too early or some combination of the three. It isn't hard to picture the same thing happening in education circles. Taking things a step further, some college stars might be good pros only if they are in the right system. Again, it isn't difficult to see the same thing happening with education. One teacher might not succeed in a rural school, but thrive in a urban school. Tossing a green teacher to the wolves early, might ruin a potentially great teacher.

The article is a pretty interesting read if you are interested in education and education policy.