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Institute for Effective Education, University of York: Dutch twins and the importance of teacher experience
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A study in the Netherlands has concluded that students do better when taught by experienced teachers. The authors matched date of birth, family name, and school data from the PRIMA longitudinal study of primary schools in the Netherlands to identify 495 twin pairs. The study used data on twins who went to the same school but were assigned to different classes, enabling researchers to assess teacher quality as the main variable.
The results revealed a “robust finding that students in classrooms with more experienced teachers perform better”. This was particularly true of the early years in a child’s education but not exclusively so.
Source:Teacher Quality and Student Achievement: Evidence from a Dutch Sample Of Twins (2014), CPB Discussion Paper 294