Mathematica Policy Research and the U.S. Department of Education conducted a study of Teach for America (TFA) and Teaching Fellows programs.  They released study results today.

In “The Effectiveness of Secondary Math Teachers from Teach For America and the Teaching Fellows Programs,” Mathematica researchers concluded,

1. TFA teachers were more effective than the teachers with whom they were compared. On average, students assigned to TFA teachers scored 0.07 standard deviations higher on end-of-year math assessments than students assigned to comparison teachers, a statistically significant difference. This impact is equivalent to an additional 2.6 months of school for the average student nationwide.
2. Teaching Fellows were neither more nor less effective than the teachers with whom they were compared. On average, students of Teaching Fellows and students of comparison teachers had similar scores on end-of-year math assessments.
The impact of Teach for America teachers “translated into an additional 2.6 months of learning for the average student nationwide.” (p. 62)  Researchers could not pinpoint the reasons why Teach for American teachers were more effective than their district school counterparts (at least one that they could measure).  In fact, they predicted that TFA teachers would be less effective based on the variables included in the study.
These findings add to the substantial body of research that show that Teach for America teachers are effective.  It also bolsters the N.C. General Assembly’s decision to increase funding to the TFA program in North Carolina.