Elementary Teacher Impacts Student Performance

Is it really possible for a teacher to be impartial indisadvantaged students. It does still suggest,
the way they treat their students? Some mayhowever, that effective teachers promote
argue they can, but research suggests otherwise.student achievement for all students, even though
When this phenomenon was recently investigatedeffective teachers do not close the achievement
in a focused study, researchers determined thatgap.
teachers do in fact play favorites and it showsThe Gap
through in the way a child performs academically.Previous research suggests that minority and
The good news is that this same research alsodisadvantaged students are less likely to have
suggests that elementary teacher effective inbeen taught be an effective teacher. As this
one grade level leads to higher academicresearch shows all students benefit from
achievement in the following grade. In othereffective teachers, it would suggest that the
words, effective teachers have the ability toNCLB framework policies be changed to
significantly increase achievement for all students.encourage effective teachers to teach in schools
In addition, effective teachers are cumulative andwith higher proportions of minority and
the more exposure students have to suchdisadvantaged students.
teachers, the better they will do in elementaryWhen these students have access to a teacher
school.who can be effective in the classroom, it can
The results of two level HLM tests suggest thatimprove the overall quality of the U.S. educational
in certain grades and achievement tests, somesystem. The future of the country depends on
student groups gain benefit from effectivequality education for ALL students, not just those
teachers, while other groups do not. The deviationthat fit into a specific socioeconomic mold that no
from the standard is so minimal however, that itlonger reflects the face of the nation.
lends to the belief that effective teachersOf course, as this research suggests, there is in
positively affect the academic performance andthe school systems what is called a "creaming"
achievement of all students. A teacher that canprocess. First year teachers end up filling in the
make a positive impact on her students will deliverjob openings and have no rank or experience on
measurable achievements in her career.which to bargain. As their effectiveness as a
Gender and Subject Matterteacher becomes more apparent over time, they
Interestingly, in certain areas, female studentsare lured away to higher income schools.
tended to benefit more than male students whenWhile this process does exist, it appears it is not
learning from an effective teacher. For females inpervasive as would be demonstrated in the
the third grade, they benefited substantially fromdistribution of quality teachers throughout high
having had effective teachers in the three gradesincome schools and few to none within low
preceding that year. All other interactions provedincome schools. There is still a propensity to lean
to have no bearing on performance.this way, however, as long as the system is built
Findings also suggest that females can benefitto support it. Perhaps it is time for a change.
more from effective teachers in reading andIf you're ready to start experiencing the benefits
mathematics. Some evidence also suggests thatof using video in the classroom, your next step is
white, female students benefit even more fromto download a free copy of "The 7 Biggest
such teachers. Overall, the results of the study doMistakes Teachers Make Using Video in the
not suggest there is a significant difference in theClassroom" by clicking on the link below right now.
outcome of teacher effects for monitory and