Updated - Teachers in disadvantaged schools tended to have lower SAT and ACT scores

Employing data from a stratified random survey of newly certified teachers in Texas, this study compares the mathematical content preparation of traditional teacher program graduates with graduates of alternative programs.

The authors find that graduates of traditional programs have statistically significantly higher content preparation even when taking precollege preparation into account. These findings were consistent across different types of alternative programs. Alternatively certified teachers reported higher college entrance exam scores in mathematics, but this was statistically significant only for Grades 4 to 8.

After merging survey results with NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) data about the schools at which teachers were employed, the authors found similar demographic characteristics between the two types of teachers—alternatively certified teachers were not more likely to teach in disadvantaged schools.

Finally, while the content preparation of teachers was consistent across types of schools, teachers in disadvantaged schools tended to have lower SAT and ACT scores for both alternatively and traditionally prepared teachers.