Study: Least Experienced Los Angeles Teachers Often Placed With Neediest Students

The Los Angeles Times (11/19, Watanabe) reports that according to a new study from the Strategic Data Project, which is associated with Harvard University's Center for Education Policy Research, "inexperienced teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District are disproportionately more likely to be assigned to lower-performing math students, perpetuating the achievement gap. The study also found that L.A. Unified teachers 'vary substantially' in their effectiveness, with top teachers able to give students the equivalent of eight additional months of learning in a year compared with weaker instructors."