The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) has posted a new study for its What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) called “The Effectiveness of Secondary Math Teachers from Teach for American and the Teaching Fellows Programs.” Here’s the abstract:

The study examined whether students taught by teachers in the Teach for America (TFA) and The New Teacher Project Teaching Fellows (Teaching Fellows) programs had greater mathematics achievement than students taught by teachers who were not in either of these programs. This WWC report focuses on the TFA intervention, and a separate single study review provides information about the Teaching Fellows intervention. Within each school, students who were enrolled in the same math subject were randomly assigned to take the class with either a TFA teacher or a comparison teacher who did not enter teaching through a highly selective alternative route. 

What did the study find? 

The study authors found, and the WWC confirmed, that TFA teachers were more effective than comparison teachers in raising the mathematics achievement of their students.