An Evaluation of Teachers Trained Through Different Routes to Certification

Mathematica’s random assignment study of alternative routes to teacher certification tracked 2,600 students in 63 schools in 20 medium and large school districts in 7 states during the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 school years; focused on less selective alternative certification programs producing large numbers of teachers in a range of school districts, from rural to urban; and collected detailed data on coursework requirements and content from 80 teacher training programs. Researchers found no statistically significant difference in reading or math achievement for students placed in a classroom with traditionally or alternatively certified teachers. They also found no association between greater amounts of teacher training coursework and effectiveness in the classroom and no evidence that the content of coursework correlated with teacher effectiveness.