Understanding teacher labor markets: Implications for educational equity

Education policymakers at both the state and federal level are struggling to identify ways to improve the academic achievement of public school students. Faced with the sub-standard academic performance of some student groups and the persistence of achievement discrepancies between certain racial, ethnic and socio-economic groups of students, policymakers’ need for information to bridge the gap is at an all-time high. Concern over low student performance has a long history but has taken on new urgency in a time of dramatic increases in the availability of achievement data, frequent court cases on adequacy and equity and widespread calls for accountability. Recent research on student achievement suggests a strong link between teachers and student outcomes, though efforts to eliminate funding disparities within states still leave many schools comparatively short-changed in the qualifications of their teachers.