Raising the Bar on Teacher Quality: Assessing the Impact of Increasing Licensure Exam Cut-Scores

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (7) ◽  
pp. 969-992
Author(s):  
James V. Shuls
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Quality ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Policy Decision ◽  
Cut Scores ◽  
Praxis Ii ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Licensure Exams ◽  
Teacher Workforce ◽  
The Impact

State policy makers are constantly looking for ways to improve teacher quality. An oft tried method is to increase the rigor of licensure exams. This study utilizes state administrative data from Arkansas to determine whether raising the cut-scores on licensure exams would improve the quality of the teacher workforce. In addition, the study explores the trade-offs of such a policy decision. It is concluded that raising the required passing score on the Praxis II would increase the quality of the teacher workforce, as measured by value-added student achievement. This change, however, would be accompanied with an important trade-off as it would reduce the number of minority teachers and potentially lead to negative outcomes in disadvantaged schools.

scholarly journals Teacher Quality and Teacher Mobility

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 396-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Feng ◽  
Tim R. Sass
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Quality ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Teacher Mobility ◽  
Quality Teachers ◽  
Advanced Degrees ◽  
Language Arts Teachers ◽  
Arts Teachers ◽  
Teacher Workforce ◽  
Peer Teachers ◽  
The Impact

There is growing concern among policy makers over the quality of the teacher workforce in general, and the distribution of effective teachers across schools. The impact of teacher attrition on overall teacher quality will depend on the effectiveness of teachers who leave the profession. Likewise, teacher turnover may alleviate or worsen inequities in the distribution of teachers, depending on which teachers change schools or leave teaching and who replaces them. Using matched student–teacher panel data from the state of Florida, we examine teacher mobility across the distribution of effectiveness (as measured by teacher value added). We find that top-quartile and bottom-quartile teachers exit at a higher rate than do average-quality teachers. Additionally, as the share of peer teachers with more experience, advanced degrees, or professional certification increases, the likelihood of moving within-district decreases. We also find some evidence of assortative matching among teachers—more productive reading/language arts teachers are more likely to stay in teaching if they have more productive peer teachers.

Changing the Education Workforce? The Relationships among Teacher Quality, Motivation, and Performance Pay

2017 ◽  
Vol 119 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-32
Author(s):  
Daniel H. Bowen ◽  
Jonathan N. Mills
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Quality ◽  
Financial Incentives ◽  
Risk Preferences ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Performance Pay ◽  
Teaching Profession ◽  
Performance Based Pay ◽  
Teacher Workforce ◽  
And Performance ◽  
K 12

Background/Context With a growing body of evidence to support the assertion that teacher quality is vital to producing better student outcomes, policymakers continue to seek solutions to attract and retain the best educators. Performance-based pay is a reform that has become popular in K–12 education over the last decade. This strategy potentially produces positive impacts on student achievement in two ways: better alignment of financial incentives with desired outcomes and improved the composition of the teacher workforce. While evaluations have primarily focused on the former result, there is little research on whether the longer-term implementation of these polices can attract more effective teachers. Purpose In this study we aim to provide evidence for potential long-term impacts that performance-based pay can have on the composition of the teacher workforce by addressing two questions: Does performance-based pay attract fundamentally different individuals, as measured by their risk preferences, to the teaching profession? Are stated preferences for a particular pay format correlated to measures of teacher quality? Research Design We apply methods from experimental economics and conduct surveys with 120 teachers from two school districts who have experienced performance pay. We compare the risk preferences of teachers hired under the two pay formats to test the hypothesis that performance-based pay attracts individuals with different characteristics to the profession. We also analyze teachers’ survey responses on their preferences for performance-based pay to determine their relationships to two measures of teacher quality: student test-score gains and principal evaluations. Conclusions/Recommendations We find mixed results regarding the ability of performance-based pay to alter the composition of the teacher workforce. Teachers hired with performance-based pay in place are no different from their colleagues. However, teachers claiming to seek employment in districts with performance-based pay in place appear significantly less risk averse. Surprisingly, additional analyses indicate that teachers’ value-added scores and performance evaluations do not predict a positive disposition towards merit pay. Thus, while these results indicate the possibility for performance-based pay to attract different individuals to teaching, they do not provide evidence that such change would necessarily improve the composition of the workforce. Policymakers should take this potential tradeoff into consideration when considering the expansion of performance pay policies.

scholarly journals The importance of evaluation of economic determinants in public procurement processes in Slovakia in 2010–2016

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Tkacova ◽  
Beata Gavurova ◽  
Jakub Danko ◽  
Martin Cepel
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Supply Side ◽  
Economic Determinants ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Limit Orders ◽  
Survey Sample ◽  
The Impact

Research background: Public procurement is designed to efficiently spend public sector financial resources. This should lead to savings in public funds. Domestic and foreign studies point to the fact that sufficient competition on the supply side is the condition for achieving those savings. Slovakia currently belongs to a group of countries with low competition on the supply side of the tender. Every year, about 10,000 tenders will be made in Slovakia for 5 billion Eur. However, contracting authorities have difficulty with establishing the estimated contract value and defining non-discriminatory criteria. On the other hand, contractors lack the expertise to prepare tenders, specifications are often tailored to specific bidders or products, and the price criterion has a negative impact on the quality of the goods and services purchased. Purpose of the article: The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of selected efficiency determinants on savings in public procurement in Slovakia in 2010–2016. The number of bids, the subcontractor's participation, the narrower competition and the impact of the narrower competition and the expected price on the number of bids have been examined. Methods: The survey sample consisted of 800 randomly selected public procurement con-tracts from different sectors in 2010–2016. The contracts were split on the basis of the median estimate of the above-limit (409 contracts) and below-limit (391 contracts) contracts; the divestment value was the estimated price of 400,000 Euro (without the tax). Findings & Value added: The number of offers positively influences the creation of savings in public procurement, an average of 5-6%. The impact of a narrow competition was significant, which led to a decrease in savings of 3-4% compared to the open competition if the sample was 800 contracts and over 400,000 Euro (without the tax). For below-limit orders, this determinant was shown to be statistically insignificant. The size of the contract did not affect the number of successful candidates. Also, the negative impact of narrower competition on the number of tenders was demonstrated. These findings are in line with the presented research studies. In the future, we plan to perform sectoral analyses to verify the validity of the hypotheses under review based on the results of our research.

scholarly journals Globalization and the Newest Forms of Economic Reality

2021 ◽  
Vol 129 ◽  
pp. 10003
Author(s):  
Natalya Gagulina ◽  
Arthur Budagov ◽  
Irina Zhulega
Keyword(s):  
Value Added ◽  
Digital Economy ◽  
Dialectical Logic ◽  
Economic Transformations ◽  
Global Nature ◽  
Economic Reality ◽  
Organization Of Production ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Impact

Research background: Globalization has outlined the contours of a new technological reality in which the emergence of major innovations is due to NBIC-convergence, which has combined the achievements of nanotechnology (N), biotechnology (B), information technology (I) and cognitive science (C). The global nature of the development of information and telecommunication technologies contributed to the formation of the digital economy and the newest forms of economic reality accompanying it. Purpose of the article: The goal set by the authors is to conduct a study of the latest forms of economic reality associated with the impact of globalization on economic development. It is necessary to analyze the metamorphoses that occur with the forms of knowledge, forms of management, forms of organization of production, etc. Methods: The basis of the methodological basis of the research was formed by the principles of dialectical logic, historical research, the application of cause-effect and functional-structural analysis, which allow revealing the essence of socio-economic macroeconomic and regional processes, as well as micro-level processes occurring in the digital economy under the influence of globalization. Findings & Value added: In the course of the research, the identification of the newest forms of economic reality and their signs was carried out. The causal-logical relationship of globalization, the emergence of the newest forms of economic reality, economic transformations and structural shifts in the economy was analyzed. The accompanying changes in economic growth and the impact of these changes on the quality of life are considered.

scholarly journals The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the quality of life

2021 ◽  
Vol 129 ◽  
pp. 01029
Author(s):  
Zuzana Stofkova ◽  
Peter Seemann
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
National Level ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Subjective Quality ◽  
Life Assessment ◽  
Subjective Quality Of Life ◽  
Current State ◽  
The Impact

Research background: The paper deals with the quality of life and the impact of the pandemic COVID-19 on people’s lives in Slovakia and in selected region. The concept of quality of life and dimensions of quality of life, which are necessary for its evaluation are mentioned, too. It also describes the current state of the issue in Slovakia and abroad on the basis of the selected indicators, where individual countries of the world are compared. Purpose of the article: There are mentioned approaches to quality of life assessment and to conduct a survey of quality of life in a selected region which deals with the development of the quality of life. The paper deals with the analysis of the current state of the problem in Slovakia and abroad. Various definitions of the term quality of life through several authors and views. Methods: Indices in a global and national level for assessment of selected aspects of objective and subjective quality of life in terms of pandemics COVID-19 are mentioned. In order to assess the impact of a pandemic related to COVID-19 on satisfaction of citizens with several aspects of their lives in selected region is analyzed on the basis of an e-survey. Findings & Value added: The result of the article is a comparison of individual indicators of the subjective quality of life in selected EU member states and the Slovak Republic. A survey of the satisfaction of the inhabitants of selected region with selected areas of quality of their lives connected with the COVID-19 pandemic is carried out in order to monitor and evaluate the quality of life at the level of local governments.

scholarly journals Managing quality of cost information in clinical costing: evidence across seven countries

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher S. Chapman ◽  
Anja Kern ◽  
Aziza Laguecir ◽  
Gerardine Doyle ◽  
Nathalie Angelé-Halgand ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Cost Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Regulatory Guidance ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Similar Range ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose is to assess the impact of clinical costing approaches on the quality of cost information in seven countries (Denmark, England, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Portugal).Design/methodology/approachCosting practices in seven countries were analysed via questionnaires, interviews and relevant published material.FindingsAlthough clinical costing is intended to support a similar range of purposes, countries display considerable diversity in their approaches to costing in terms of the level of detail contained in regulatory guidance and the percentage of providers subject to such guidance for tariff setting. Guidance in all countries involves a mix of costing methods.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors propose a two-dimensional Materiality and Quality Score (2D MAQS) of costing systems that can support the complex trade-offs in managing the quality of cost information at both policy and provider level, and between financial and clinical concerns.Originality/valueThe authors explore the trade-offs between different dimensions of the quality (accuracy, decision relevance and standardization) and the cost of collecting and analysing cost information for disparate purposes.

scholarly journals Possibilities of using innovative urban design approaches for economic regional development

2021 ◽  
Vol 92 ◽  
pp. 07027
Author(s):  
Richard Jankura ◽  
Viktor Soltes
Keyword(s):  
Urban Design ◽  
Urban Space ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Urban Spaces ◽  
Economic Factors ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Socio Economic Factors

Research background: Globalization affects the daily lives of every individual, and therefore of the society in which he lives. In the coming years, almost 80% of the population will live in cities, which will have an impact on the socio-economic development of cities. These facts can lead to a deterioration of the security situation. Therefore, cities focused on the design of urban development, and thus on the elimination of undesirable factors. Purpose of the article: Cities around the world began to attend with architectural modifications of spaces, which could positively influence socio-economic factors. Changing the environment can reduce crime in localities. The purpose of the article is to analyze the impact of selected approaches on the quality of citizens’ life and to point out the possibilities of crime prevention through environmental design. Methods: Solution that deals with influencing the urban environment is the CPTED method. This approach focuses on the urban space and the principles of the fight against crime. The article describes the principles of CPTED application in urban space, and ways of its possible use. The methods of economic analysis and mathematical statistics will also evaluate the economic impacts on the budget of the entity using the approach. Findings & Value added: Due to globalization, built-up areas in cities are expanding. These changes have implications for socio-economic factors. The findings can be used in the design of new as well as existing urban spaces by public administration entities (especially regional and local governments), but also by private developers.

Pulling Back the Curtain: Revealing the Cumulative Importance of High-Performing, Highly Qualified Teachers on Students’ Educational Outcome

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 359-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Se Woong Lee
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Quality ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Educational Outcome ◽  
Educational Success ◽  
Highly Qualified ◽  
High Performing ◽  
Qualified Teachers ◽  
Bachelor's Degree Attainment ◽  
The Impact

This study examines the relationship between two dominant measures of teacher quality, teacher qualification and teacher effectiveness (measured by value-added modeling), in terms of their influence on students’ short-term academic growth and long-term educational success (measured by bachelor’s degree attainment). As students are exposed to teachers of varying quality over the course of their schooling, this study computes cumulative teacher quality indices that are able to more precisely estimate the impact of teacher quality. Notably, this study found that students who had been taught by a succession of high-performing and qualified teachers tend to have a positive relationship with students’ short- and long-term educational success.

scholarly journals Transparency and disclosure as an internal corporate governance mechanism and corporate performance: Egypt’s case

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 182-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dina Hassouna ◽  
Hassan Ouda ◽  
Khaled Hussainey
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Corporate Performance ◽  
Objective Measure ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Governance Mechanism ◽  
Corporate Governance Mechanism ◽  
Transparency And Disclosure ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Disclosure Practice

Our paper aims to examine the impact of an “objective” measure for the quality of transparency and disclosure practice that is extracted from the Egyptian corporate governance guidelines on the performance of a selected sample of 85 Egyptian listed companies. We use mixed methods (i.e. content analysis, regression analysis, questionnaires and interviews) to test the relationship between the transparency and disclosure index and corporate performance for the period 2006-2010. We found no significant relationship between transparency and disclosure practice and corporate performance. Our results suggest that governance mechanisms such as transparency and disclosure practices are considered to be just ink on paper without any actual value added adopting corporate governance in Egypt.

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