Teacher Quality and Learning Inequality

Autores

  • Macarena Kutscher Inter-American Development Bank
  • Catalina Morales St. Mary's College of Maryland
  • Cristina Riquelme Trinity University
  • Sergio Urzúa University of Maryland

Resumo

This paper explores the contribution of teachers to student performance in Chile’s college admission test (PSU). Our analysis is based on a unique teacher-student matched dataset and decomposition methods. The findings suggest that teachers’ performance on the PSU and the characteristics of their educational degrees are significant predictors of students’ success. When controlling for students’ and predetermined school characteristics, the gap between voucher and public schools is reduced. Productivity differences emerge as key factors driving the disparities across school types. The analysis underscores the crucial role of teacher-student interactions in shaping student outcomes.

Palavras-chave:

student performance, teacher characteristics, sorting, education inequalities