Rating Teacher Preparation Programs: Common Errors and Typical Findings from Seven States

In 2011, Paul von Hippel was part of a team hired by the Texas Education Agency to compare the effects of teachers from nearly 100 programs on student test scores in Texas. Over the next five years, he carried out similar evaluations in six other states, developed new statistical methods and software, and highlighted common errors made by evaluators. He concluded that differences between programs are easy to overestimate, and, in fact, the vast majority of programs are practically indistinguishable in their teachers’ effects on student test scores. A small number of exceptionally strong or weak programs stand out in each state, but strong and weak programs are not necessarily concentrated in particular sectors (e.g., for-profit, not-for-profit, alternative, or traditional). Learn about Dr. von Hippel’s findings and how it relates to what the College of Education is doing to evaluate the current state of teacher preparation pathways.