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Thanks so much Madeleine for the info!

I read both documents, but I don't see any evidence that teacher quality is more important that socio-economic status. The Education Trust document doesn't discuss socio-economic status at all. There is data that the Harlem Childrens Zone school students have test scores comparable to white students, but that was in a school where, according to page 16, students spent twice as much time in school than comparable students. Also, isn't it true that most of the efforts of the HCZ are in areas other than teacher quality?

Does anyone else know where this might be documented?

Thanks!

To frame the issue, I reccomend you check out the chapter entitled "Most Likely to Succeed" in Malcom Gladwell's book, What The Dog Saw. In fact, his book Outliers also sheds light on this issue. It is not that socioecnomic status is not a vital issue. In fact, it is the issue that presents the most difficult challenge when teaching so that all children learn to high standards. The point is that research finds that effective teaching does overcome environmental issues such as socioeconomic background.

Efrain Martinez,

Thanks for your suggestions. Can you point me to the research that "finds that effective teaching does overcome environmental issues such as socioeconomic background"?

Teacher - you are the problem.

Whether or not teacher quality is more important than socio-economic status is an important question. If teacher quality has little or no impact on outcomes for students, but socio-economic status does, we should spend little or no money on education, and instead direct the money to the families to raise their socio-economic status. One who suggests that teacher quality has little or no impact on outcomes for students is really saying that teachers are no more than day care providers. If that is the case, they should be paid as day care providers, and we don't need extensive adminstation and overhead to administer a day care center. Teachers have made a difference in my life, and my unscientific survey of one says teacher quality is much more important than socio-economic status. As a result, I believe we should compensate teachers as if they are more important, and demand results.