RAND research aims to understand what supports high-quality teaching and whether teachers are getting the right kind and amount of professional development they need.
Many personal, family, and neighborhood factors contribute to a student's academic performance, but a large body of research suggests that, among school-related factors, teachers matter most. What's less clear, however, is how to measure an individual teacher's effectiveness. What we do know is that across the country—even within districts and schools—there is a wide range in teaching effectiveness. It's a complex topic that continues to dominate education policy discussions at the local, state, and federal levels.
