Whoulda thunk? Good teaching comes from experience, not grad school

May 7, 2008

According to research by a legislative task force on education funding, it turns out that teachers with more experience are more effective than teachers with a graduate degree.

The Spokesman-Review had a report today highlighting the work of the Legislature's Basic Education Finance Task Force which is working to overhaul the way the state funds K-12 education.

Task force members are hoping to make evidence-based decisions about where money should go. For example, does student achievement improve more when students are in smaller classrooms or when students are in front of a teacher with specialized training? Should we provide incentives for teachers to get more teaching experience or to get graduate degrees?

The task force is scheduled to release its proposal prior to the 2009 legislative session.