The Impact of Graduate Education on Teacher Effectiveness: Does a Master’s Degree Matter?
Many school districts and states have long encouraged teachers to pursue graduate education. Teachers are frequently permitted to use graduate credits for recertification (Hill, 2007), and teachers with graduate degrees generally earn a higher salary or receive an annual stipend (Miller & Roza, 2012). Moreover, in some cases a master’s degree is a requirement for teacher licensure.
According to the 2015 data from the National Council on Teacher Quality, four states required a master’s degree or its equivalent in coursework for professional licensure (Connecticut, Kentucky, Maryland, and New York), and four other states recommend a master’s degree as a route to professional licensure (Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, and Oregon). A master’s degree is also universally required for teacher licensure in thirteen countries, such as France, Spain, and Finland (World Policy Analysis Center, 2016).
Advocates have argued that graduate education may improve teacher effectiveness (e.g., Harris & Sass, 2011) and raise the status of the teaching profession (e.g., Sahlberg, 2015). This brief examines the prevalence of graduate degrees among teachers in the United States and to summarize research on the relationship between teacher educational attainment and student achievement.
