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Title: The Economics of Teacher Quality
Citation Type: Journal Article
Publication Year: 2006
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Abstract: Concern is often voiced about the quality ofAmerican schoolteachers. This paper suggests that, while the relative quality of teachers is declining, this decline may be the result of technological changes that have raised the priceof skilled workers outside teaching without affecting the productivity of skilled teachers. Growth in the price of skilled workers can cause schools to lower the relative quality of teachers and raise teacher quantity instead. Evidence from the NLSY demonstrates that wage and schooling are good measures of teacher quality. Analysis of US Census microdata then reveals that the relative schooling and experience-adjusted relative wagesof US schoolteachers have fallen significantly from 1940 to 1990. Moreover, class sizes have also fallen substantially. The declines in class size and in relative quality seem correlated over time and space with growth in the relative price of skilled workers.
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Authors: Lakdawalla, Darius
Periodical (Full): Journal of Law and Economics
Issue: 1
Volume: 49
Pages: 285-329
Data Collections: IPUMS USA
Topics: Education, Labor Force and Occupational Structure
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