Linking Teacher Quality, Student Attendance, and Student Achievement

43 Pages Posted: 21 Nov 2014

See all articles by Seth Gershenson

Seth Gershenson

American University - School of Public Affairs

Date Written: November 19, 2014

Abstract

Research on the effectiveness of educational inputs, particularly research on teacher effectiveness, typically overlooks teachers’ potential impact on behavioral outcomes such as student attendance. Using longitudinal data on teachers and students in North Carolina I estimate teacher effects on primary school student absences in a value-added framework. The analysis yields two main findings: First, teachers have arguably causal, statistically significant effects on student absences that persist over time. Second, teachers who improve test scores do not necessarily improve student attendance, suggesting that effective teaching is multidimensional and teachers who are effective in one domain are not necessarily effective in others.

Keywords: student absences, teacher effectiveness, value added models, non-cognitive skills

JEL Classification: I21, J44, J45

Suggested Citation

Gershenson, Seth, Linking Teacher Quality, Student Attendance, and Student Achievement (November 19, 2014). American University School of Public Affairs Research Paper No. 2014-0015, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2528136 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2528136

Seth Gershenson (Contact Author)

American University - School of Public Affairs ( email )

4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20016
United States

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
216
Abstract Views
1,629
Rank
254,896
PlumX Metrics