Licensure and Worker Quality: A Comparison of Alternative Routes to Teaching

42 Pages Posted: 22 Jun 2013

See all articles by Tim R. Sass

Tim R. Sass

Georgia State University - Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

Date Written: May 28, 2013

Abstract

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 “value-added” models of student achievement. In general, alternatively certified teachers have stronger pre-service qualifications than do traditionally prepared teachers, with the least restrictive alternative attracting the most qualified prospective teachers. Of the three alternative certification pathways studied, teachers who enter through the path requiring no coursework have substantially greater effects on student achievement than do either traditionally prepared teachers. In contrast, the alternative pathway that requires substantial occupation-specific human capital investment yields the least effective teachers. These results suggest that any benefits from pre-service training are overwhelmed by the adverse selection into programs that require non-transferable human capital investments.

Suggested Citation

Sass, Tim, Licensure and Worker Quality: A Comparison of Alternative Routes to Teaching (May 28, 2013). Andrew Young School of Policy Studies Research Paper Series No. 13-09, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2283151 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2283151

Tim Sass (Contact Author)

Georgia State University - Andrew Young School of Policy Studies ( email )

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