Does the area and learning modality of teacher qualification matter to middle school students’ performance in mathematics?

Abstract

This study assesses how various types and modes of teacher qualification affect students' math grades. Using data from 9th-grade public classes from Brazilian standardized tests, we categorized teachers into groups based on their qualification. We applied inverse probability weighting, derived from propensity scores estimated by a Generalized Boosting Model with multiple treatments, to account for other teachers' and students' characteristics when evaluating student performance. Results showed that teachers who graduated in mathematics through distance education had classes with higher grades than teachers with other academic backgrounds or without higher education, particularly in rural schools and among students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Moreover, no statistically significant differences were observed in the performance of students taught by teachers trained in mathematics through distance education as opposed to traditional face-to-face training. These findings suggest that prioritizing subject-specific teacher qualification is essential for improving math education outcomes, with distance learning being a viable option, especially in schools facing socioeconomic challenges.