Surprise: Firing bad teachers helps students

Researchers examined the IMPACT system used by District of Columbia Public Schools to assess teachers, replacing bad ones and recognizing successful ones. The system led to significant improvements in math and reading, especially for poor students.

“IMPACT targets the exit of low-performing teachers,” researchers write. “Our estimates show that doing so substantially improves teaching quality and student achievement in high-poverty schools.” The gains made in math are roughly equivalent to an extra 35 percent to 65 percent of a school year. In reading, the gains are about an extra 35 percent to 55 percent in learning.

Most of the turnover from the IMPACT program is in Washington’s high-poverty schools. In those schools, “the proportion of exiting teachers who are low-performers is twice as high as in low-poverty schools.”

IMPACT ratings put teachers on one of five levels, from ineffective to highly effective. Teachers who receive an “ineffective” rating in any one year are dismissed. Teachers who are “minimally effective” for two straight years are dismissed, as are teachers who are “developing” or worse for three straight years. In contrast, teachers rated as “highly effective” get more leadership opportunities, increased recognition and salary bonuses. Teachers are evaluated on how well students do and multiple classroom observations.

Researchers had their work published as a working paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research. It was authored by Melinda Adnot, Thomas Dee, Veronica Katz and James Wyckoff. All except Dee are with the University of Virginia. Dee is with Stanford University.

“Our results,” the researchers conclude, “indicate that, under a robust system of performance assessment, the turnover of teachers can generate meaningful gains in student outcomes, particularly for the most disadvantaged students.”

Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.