Master’s Degrees and Teacher Effectiveness

New Evidence from State Assessments

Can an advanced degree contribute to teacher effectiveness in the classroom? According to the results of a recently released independent study titled “Master’s Degrees and Teacher Effectiveness: New Evidence from State Assessments,” master’s degrees are associated with improved student performance.

Conducted by Arroyo Research Services and commissioned by The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership at Walden University, the study of elementary educators in a large public school district in suburban Georgia found that:*

• Students whose teachers held a master’s degree performed better in both reading and language arts on the Georgia Reading and Language Arts Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) than students whose teachers did not hold a master’s degree.
• The study also found that students of the Georgia district’s elementary teachers who earned an M.S. in Education with a specialization in Elementary Reading and Literacy (Grades PreK–6) from The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership at Walden University outperformed students of teachers who held non-Walden masters degrees on the Georgia Language Arts Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT).

The sample data included test scores from second- through fifth-grade students of more than 4,000 teachers of record for reading for school years from 2004 to 2009, as well as more than 205,000 student observations from 2004 to 2010.

The question of whether or not an educator’s master’s degree makes a difference in student outcomes is a popular subject of debate in the education field today. In the context of other studies on the effects of master’s degrees on teacher effectiveness, this study finds that graduate degrees can indeed play a role in student success.

The new research builds on a previous study confirming the positive connection between graduates of Walden University’s M.S. in Education program and student outcomes in reading fluency. According to “Linking Teacher Learning to Student Success,” a 2009 independent study of teachers in the Tacoma public school system (Washington), students of teachers who graduated from Walden’s M.S. in Education program with a specialization in Elementary Reading and Literacy (PreK–6) made larger gains in reading fluency than students of non-Walden-master’s educated teachers.^†

As a leading provider of quality degree programs, the Riley College of Education and Leadership is dedicated to enhancing educator effectiveness and contributing to original scholarship that reflects educators’ roles in improving student outcomes. To learn more, download the research paper “Master’s Degrees and Teacher Effectiveness: New Evidence from State Assessments ” or contact an enrollment advisor at 1-866-492-5336.

Master's Degrees and Teacher Effectiveness: New Evidence from State Assessments Frequently Asked Questions

^*According to a 2011 independent study of teachers in a large public school district in Georgia that analyzed data collected from second- through fifth-grade students of more than 4,000 teachers of record for reading for school years from 2004 to 2009, as well as more than 205,000 student observations from 2004 to 2010.
^†According to a 2008 independent study of teachers in the Tacoma Public Schools (Washington) that analyzed data from 2006 to 2008.