| Amita Chudgar
Michigan State University
National income, income inequality, and the importance of schools and teachers: A hierarchical cross-national comparison
In this study, we make use of a rich international database to explore two questions regarding the influence of school resources on student achievement. First, what role do national income and income inequality play in mediating relationships among student social class, school inputs, and student achievement? While many studies have examined whether school inputs matter more for student achievement in low-income countries, few researchers have included measures of income inequality in their analysis. Yet if income inequality is accompanied by inequality of educational access and quality, access to school resources may be severely constrained among poor children in unequal, low-income countries. In such cases, scarce educational resources may have a much greater impact on student achievement. In contrast to many previous cross-national studies, we study the importance of school resources both across and within countries. The second question we examine is whether certain teacher characteristics are consistently and positively related to student achievement across and within countries. We also examine whether teachers with important characteristics are able to help close the achievement gap between poor and more advantaged children. While a growing body of research indicates that teacher quality is a strong predictor of student success, there is little cross-national evidence regarding the relative importance of teacher attributes like experience, education, and training. And although some evidence from the United States suggests that school and teacher resources affect students of different racial or socioeconomic backgrounds differently, there is little analysis of this issue in the developing world. Unlike many previous cross-national studies, which use samples drawn from eighth grade students, we draw on data from the fourth grade application of the 2003 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), thereby including disadvantaged children who may leave school by the eighth grade. This study will help to guide policymakers in directing scarce educational resources to improve educational equity. Additionally, analysis of the relative importance of teacher characteristics has important implications for how policymakers recruit, assign, and reward teachers in both developing and developed countries.
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