RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Beyond Levels and Growth
JF Journal of Human Resources
JO J Hum Resour
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 722
OP 753
DO 10.3368/jhr.47.3.722
VO 47
IS 3
A1 Kinsler, Josh
YR 2012
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/47/3/722.abstract
AB The levels and growth achievement functions make extreme and diametrically opposed assumptions about the rate at which teacher inputs persist. I first show that if these assumptions are incorrect, teacher value-added estimates can be significantly biased. I then develop a tractable, cumulative model of student achievement that allows for the joint estimation of unobserved teacher quality and its persistence. The model can accommodate varying persistence rates, student heterogeneity, and time-varying teacher attributes. I implement the proposed methodology using schooling data from North Carolina, and find that only a third of the contemporaneous teacher effect survives into the next grade.