The Impact of Teacher Education on Outcomes in Center-Based Early Childhood Education Programs: A Meta-analysis


Pamela Kelley and Gregory Camilli
Does a teacher's bachelor's degree have a positive impact on early childhood education outcomes? This meta-analysis was conducted to provide a quantitative synthesis of research findings on the relationship of teacher educational attainment and measures of classroom quality and child development.

Summary

With the expansion of state-funded preschool education programs, ensuring that those programs are of high quality is a paramount concern for policymakers, child advocates, and educators across the nation. The authors of this NIEER working paper point to a key policy question: To what extent can classroom quality be improved by raising requirements for teacher education qualifications? The findings of the meta-analysis indicated that effects on quality outcomes from teachers with a bachelor’s degree were significantly different from those teachers with less education.

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