A Longitudinal Study of Determinants of Educational Achievement: Final Report.

In the direct and indirect effects of teacher characteristics on educational production of students over time, this study indicates that teacher characteristics were not critical determinants of student achievement. Characteristics include: experience, educational level, recentness of degree and degree nature, college quality, and other background. Positive indicators across the student sample groups were that the percentage of non-white teachers was the only consistently performing characteristic. After a review of the literature of cross sectional and longitudinal analyses, the present longitudinal model of educational production is discussed. Data, empirical results and structural equation estimates for the 3 sample groups are presented. Results within the operational five-period model are followed by conclusions and implications for theory and practice. An appendix of eleven steps in the data procedures is included. (CM)