Access to High-Quality Instruction: Assessing the Distribution of Teacher and Principal Quality in Texas. Policy Brief

This policy brief presents evidence that historically underserved students in Texas are less likely to be assigned to the most qualified and effective educators. Prior research and policy efforts have focused on teacher and principal sorting across schools in the same district, and districts' employee transfer provisions. Yet this study demonstrates that educator quality gaps are caused primarily by sorting of teachers and principals across school districts, and in particular, across districts in the same labor market. The purpose of this policy brief is to provide background on research on educator quality gaps, describe the findings of a study of educator quality gaps in Texas, and provide recommendations for policymakers aiming to improve access to high-quality teachers and principals for historically underserved students. The study focuses on the following two research questions: (1) To what extent are historically underserved students in Texas disproportionately assigned to lower-quality teachers and principals in the state of Texas and how have these trends changed over time from 1995-96 to the present?; and (2) What proportion of educator quality gaps are caused by sorting across classrooms in the same school (for teachers), across schools in the same district, across districts within the same labor market, and across labor markets in the state of Texas?