In this paper we consider the challenges and implications of controlling for school contextual bias when modeling teacher preparation program effects. Because teachers from any one preparation program are hired in more than one school and teachers are not randomly distributed across schools,...

We analyze the impact of both pre-service preparation and in-service formal and informal training on the ability of teachers to promote academic achievement among students with disabilities. We employ rich student-level longitudinal data from Florida over a five-year period to estimate...

We employ individual-level panel data on students with disabilities in Florida to determine the relationship between high school teacher quality and the likelihood a student drops out and the type of diploma they receive if they do finish high school. Our data include five cohorts of 9th graders...

In this paper we analyze the impact of classroom peers on individual student performance with a unique longitudinal data set covering all Florida public school students in grades 3-10 over a five-year period. Unlike many previous data sets used to study peer effects in education, our data set...

Since their inception in 1992, the number of charter schools has grown to more than 6,000 in 40 states, serving more than 2 million students. Various studies have examined charter schools’ impacts on test scores, and a few have begun to examine longer-term outcomes including graduation and...

In this paper I use a rich longitudinal data base from Florida to compare the characteristics of alternatively certified teachers with their traditionally prepared colleagues. I then analyze the relative effectiveness of teachers who enter the profession through different pathways by estimating...

Using matched student-teacher panel data from the state of Florida, we study the determinants of teacher job change and the impact of such mobility on the distribution of teacher quality. We find that the quality of teachers who exit teaching is bimodal with peer teacher characteristics playing...

Using student-level microdata from 2000-2001 to 2004-2005 from Florida and North Carolina, we compare the effectiveness of teachers in schools serving primarily students from low-income families (70% free-and-reduced-price-lunch students) with teachers in schools serving more advantaged...