Research

Validating Our Approach Through Research and Evaluation

Our vision for research and evidence-based learning

Teach For All is a learning network working to generate evidence-based insights about how to develop collective leadership that leads to the systemic change necessary for all children to fulfill their potential. A growing body of evidence supports our theory of change, and yet we also recognize that there is much more we need to learn about how to best develop collective leadership in new contexts.

We are working to generate evidence-based insights on:

Student Outcomes: Assess the impact of our partners in developing the teachers we need to support students to grow as leaders of a better future. Student outcomes include student academic mastery and whole child outcomes such as student agency, awareness, connectedness, and wellbeing.

Leadership Effects on Teachers and Alumni: Assess the impact of the fellowship on participant leadership including whether the experience shifts participant mindsets, beliefs, and other leadership attributes that enable them to be effective agents of change as alumni.

Community and Systems Impact: Explore how collective leadership development leads to systems change that enables all children to fulfill their potential in communities and education ecosystems around the world.

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Student Outcomes

STUDENT OUTCOMES

Research from across the Teach For All network investigates the impact of our partners in developing teacher leaders who advance student learning alongside student leadership. Evidence from studies in a number of countries demonstrates that students taught by network teachers gain the equivalent of 2-5 additional months learning progress in foundational literacy and maths compared to students taught by non-network teachers . Other studies are pioneering research on how to best improve and measure student social and emotional learning outcomes. The following are examples of this research:

Student Outcomes

ENSEÑA CHILE

Estimating the Impact of Placing Top University Graduates in Vulnerable Schools in Chile
A 2010 Inter-American Development Bank study suggests a positive correlation between students being taught by Enseña Chile teachers and those students’ results on Spanish and math tests, as well as students’ non-cognitive abilities, such as self-esteem, self-efficacy, and intellectual and meta-cognitive abilities.
Mariana Alfonso, Ana Santiago, and Mariana Bassi (2010). Inter-American Development Bank

ENSEÑA PERÚ

Impact Evaluation of Enseña Perú on Students’ Academic Results

A new independent, quasi-experimental study by the Universidad del Pacífico demonstrates that Enseña Perú participants had positive effects on student academic learning (an equivalent of 0.345 standard deviations, a sizeable impact compared to most interventions as measured through national exams ECE in reading and mathematics from 2012 through 2018. The results also demonstrate that Enseña Perú's collaborative effort with private and public actors called Efecto Ancash produced an even greater effect on students' academic learning in reading and math (on average 0.437 standard deviations) in the Ancash region. The effects are sizeable impacts relative to results from studies on various interventions where 0.2 standard deviations is considered large (MIT-JPAL, 2014).
Pablo Lavado and Renzo Guzmán (2020). Universidad del Pacífico
Read the report in Spanish

ENSEÑA POR MÉXICO

Impact Evaluation of Enseña por México on Students’ Non-Cognitive Skills
A pioneering impact evaluation of Enseña por México finds participants have a positive impact on the development of students’ socioemotional skills such as self-efficacy, self-management, growth mindset, and social awareness, in addition to creating positive classroom environments for their students. Furthermore, the study shows that students with greater exposure to participants of Enseña por México are more likely to improve in socioemotional skills. Microanalitica, a Mexico City based research firm, used a quasi-experimental evaluation to assess Enseña por México’s participants’ impact on the development of student socioemotional skills over the course of the 2016-17 academic year. The robust sample includes over 25,000 students across four states in Mexico. At the time of publication, the study is the first large-scale impact evaluation of any program on the development of student socioemotional skills in Mexico, and is the first of its kind in the Teach For All network. The findings provide evidence that socioemotional skills are malleable, laying a path of further research to understand how socioemotional learning can be fostered.
Pablo Peña and Armando Chacón (2017). Microanalitica

TEACH FIRST

Department of Quantitative Social Science: Matched panel data estimates of the impact of Teach First on school and departmental performance
In this most recent study, researchers found that General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) students benefited from the presence of a Teach First teacher in their school. The research demonstrated that in years two and three after a Teach First teacher’s introduction into a school there were school-wide gains of approximately 5% of a standard deviation, or a boost of one grade in one of a pupil’s eight best subjects.
Rebecca Allen and Jay Allnutt (2013). Department of Quantitative Social Science, Institute of Education, University of London

TEACH FOR AMERICA

Impacts of Teach For America on Early Grade Student Academic Achievement in Reading
This randomized control trial provides the first rigorous evidence of the impact of Teach For America teachers on early grade student achievement. The study found that, on average, TFA corps members in lower elementary grades (prekindergarten through grade 2) had a positive, statistically significant effect on students’ reading achievement, equivalent to 1.3 additional months of learning, when compared to other teachers in the same schools.
Melissa A. Clark, Eric Isenberg, Albert Y. Liu, Libby Makowsky, and Marykate Zukiewicz (2017). Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.

The Effectiveness of Secondary Math Teachers from Teach For America and the Teaching Fellows Programs
In September, 2013, the U.S. Department of Education released the largest and most rigorous study on Teach For America in nearly a decade which concluded that students randomly assigned to corps members’ middle and high school math classrooms advanced an additional 2.6 months per year compared to those assigned to other classrooms—whether they were taught by novices or veterans, and by traditionally or alternatively prepared teachers.
Melissa A. Clark, Hanley S. Chiang, Tim Silva, Sheena McConnell, Kathy Sonnenfeld, and Anastasia Erbe (2013). Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.

TEACH FOR NIGERIA

Teach For Nigeria’s Impact on Whole Child Outcomes
First year results from a two-year quasi-experimental study evaluate the impact of Teach For Nigeria fellows on whole child development in the classroom and school community. With more than 5000 students surveyed from more than 80 schools in the first year of this study, the evaluation demonstrates that the TFN program was successful in improving academic achievement: students in classrooms taught by TFN fellows scored approximately .11 standard deviations higher in mathematics and .07 standard deviations higher in literacy. These findings may be interpreted as corresponding to between 2-3 months of additional learning progress in literacy and 2-5 months of additional learning progress in mathematics compared to students in the comparison group. The qualitative insights indicate parent and peer teachers’ perceptions of progress in terms of student behavior and socio-emotional development, for instance that Teach For Nigeria fellows foster a growth-orientation among students towards learning and greater diligence toward their schoolwork. Moreover, according to qualitative evidence, students’ general sense of respect for others and self-confidence improved. Additional data will be collected at the end of the 2023 academic year among the schools participating in this study to learn more about the two-year effect of fellows in fostering environments that contribute to whole child development.
Kata Mihaly, Jonathan D. Schewig, Elaine L. Wang, and Sabrina Lee (2022) “Teach For Nigeria Evaluation: First Year Report on Impact and Qualitative Study Findings” RAND Corporation

Program Performance & Delivery

TEACH FIRST

Leadership Development Programme Inspection Report
In 2016, the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted), England’s body for school inspections, rated Teach First Leadership Development Programme, outstanding in 41 of 48 categories. The inspectors highlighted the significant impact Teach First are making in collaboration with university partners, schools, headteachers and teachers. Participants were also praised for their readiness and commitment to addressing inequality in education.
Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) (2016)

TEACH FIRST NZ

Final Independent Process and Performance Evaluation of Teach First New Zealand
The final of three annual performance evaluations of Teach First New Zealand concludes that the program continues to be effectively implemented, and has achieved its overall outcomes and objectives to develop effective participants who lead , and contribute, to reducing educational inequality in New Zealand.
Jenny Whatman, Jo MacDonald, and Eliza Stevens (2017). Ministry of Education New Zealand. NZCER.

Teacher Leadership Development

TEACH FOR ALL

Global Teacher and Teacher Coach Study 2022

The Global Teacher and Teacher Coach Study is our global research team’s first effort to pilot applied research to learn about how to best support teachers as they explore theTeaching as a Collective Leadership (TACL) framework and consider how to develop student leadership. Using data from 48 initial teachers and 24 teacher coaches from 10 different network partners, the study explored the extent to which teachers develop mindsets aligned with collective leadership, and what kinds of classroom strategies they engage in as a result of exposure to the TACL model. We test two different delivery methods of the TACL framework: a series of workshops between teachers and their teacher coaches and a second intervention to provide virtual instructions on how to use the TACL framework and resources. We find that teachers’ mindsets are highly aligned to TACL before the study, and teachers build even stronger positive mindsets after exposure to the TACL framework. The study concludes these mindset shifts are likely driven by more frequent opportunities to connect with other teachers about their teaching practice and more regular reflection with their coaches. Observational data demonstrates that teachers in both treatment and comparison groups are engaging in several instructional strategies that foster student and teacher peer relationships
Teach For All (2022) Global Teacher and Teacher Coach Study

TEACH FOR AUSTRIA, TEACH FOR BULGARIA, IESPEJAMA MISIJA (LATVIA), TEACH FOR ROMANIA, AND EMPIEZA POR EDUCAR (SPAIN)

NEWTT – A New Way For New Talents in Teaching – Evidence of Teach For All Participant Mindsets and Skills to be Effective Teachers
The external and independent impact evaluation of NEWTT is a collection of two-year evaluations of five Teach For All partner organizations in Europe—Empieza por Educar (Basque Country of Spain), Iespejama Misija – Mission Possible (Latvia), Teach For Austria, Teach For Bulgaria, and Teach For Romania—on teacher development. The report demonstrates that, overall, Teach For All network partner participants are as prepared as, if not more prepared than, traditionally trained teachers before entering the classroom. Furthermore, over the course of two years, the project participants developed as much self-efficacy and pedagogical knowledge as teachers trained in traditional training programs.
Prof. Hermann J. Abs, Eva Anderson-Park, and Dr. Stefanie Morgenroth. (2019) “Recruiting and Preparing Alternative Teachers: A European Policy Experiment in Education” Universitat- Duisburg Essen

TEACH FOR BULGARIA

Teach For Bulgaria Final Evaluation Report: 2018-2019
Evidence from the mixed-methods impact evaluation of Teach For Bulgaria suggests that the program effectively develops participants to implement teacher actions and behaviors related to effective teaching. This external study conducted by Research and Evaluation International investigates the unique classroom practices of Teach For Bulgaria and a comparison group of teachers, as well as measure the growth of student socioemotional skills within Teach For Bulgaria and non-Teach For Bulgaria classrooms. Overall, the report demonstrates the effectiveness of the program in developing teacher skills and abilities, complementing the results from the New Ways for New Talent into Teaching (NEWTT) study in 2019, and provides insight into the necessary conditions for student socioemotional skills development.
Kershner, K., Schmidt, E., and Angelova, R. (2019) “Teach For Bulgaria Final Evaluation Report: 2018-2019” Research and Evaluation International

Leadership Effects

Teach For All has a growing body of evidence that its fellowship attracts new leaders who continue to work as education change agents throughout their careers and also has other important effects on the participants themselves, shaping their beliefs, mindsets, and other leadership attributes. Studies from Teach For India and Enseña por México demonstrate that participating in the fellowship changes the career trajectories of many participants, making them between 26 to 55 percentage points more likely to stay in careers related to education and the social sectors than similar candidates who applied but were not selected. This finding is consistent with a forthcoming, unpublished study on Teach For America, as well as surveys of alumni across the network which find that about 70% of alumni report staying in careers in the sector. The fellowship also had an impact on the beliefs of participants, including attitudes around social justice, the causes of inequality, reduction of skin-color bias, and beliefs about education policies that impact educational opportunities for children. Participating in Teach For America has also increased the political ambition of women participants and led to an increase in voting among all participants. The following are examples of this research:

TEACH FOR INDIA

Shifting Participants’ Career Trajectories and Aspirations in Teach For India
Does participating in Teach For India affect participants’ career aspirations and career trajectories? A forthcoming study investigating the effect of participating in Teach For India finds that the program has an important and large effect on the career pathways and values of former participants. Overall, participants are approximately 55 percentage points more likely to be working in the field of education itself, broadly defined. Participants are significantly more likely to work in careers that focus on addressing a social cause (e.g. welfare, human rights, civic issues, etc), and are more likely to be engaged in an activity related to serving low-income communities. Career aspirations also shift; when asked about their “ideal future job,TFI participants are 14 percentage points more likely to propose career titles within the field of education. These results demonstrate the dramatic effects of participating in Teach For India in transforming not only the participants’ career trajectories but also an individual’s sense of purpose and values within a chosen occupation. This analysis was presented at the Comparative International Education Symposium (CIES) in April 2021.
Katharine Conn, Virginia Lovison, Cecilia Hyunjung Mo (np) “The Impact of a Service-Focused Teaching Corps on Participants’ Career Pathways and Aspirations: Evidence from Teach For India.”

ENSEÑA POR MÉXICO

The Impact of Enseña por México on Alumni Professional Trajectories and Mindsets
A quasi-experimental study of Enseña por México investigates the impact of the fellowship on alumni career trajectories and mindsets compared to non-participants. The results demonstrated that nearly 79 percent of Enseña por México alumni are working in the social sector. Compared to non-participants, ExM alumni are 26 percentage points more likely to pursue careers in social sectors. On average, alumni of Enseña por México reported that they intended to continue working in the social sector and to work to support educational equity throughout their careers at least 14 percentage points more often than the comparison group.
Andrés Peña Peralta, and Nayeli Melisa Rodríguez Leonardo (2021) “El impacto de Enseña por México sobre las trayectorias, habilidades e intereses de sus egresados de las cohorts 2013 a 2017” Enseña por México

TEACH FIRST

The careers of Teach First Ambassadors who remain in teaching: job choices, promotion and school quality
A 2016 quasi-experimental study of Teach First finds that Teach First teachers are more likely to become educational leaders compared to other teachers from alternative certification programs in the UK. Teach First teachers who remain in the classroom after their second year are twice as likely to continue working in low-income communities compared to alternatively certified teachers.
Rebecca Allen, Meenakshi Parmeshwaran, and Philip Nye (2016)

TEACH FOR AMERICA

The Impact of Voluntary Youth Service on Future Outcomes: Evidence from Teach For America
A 2015 Harvard University study found that Teach For America strengthens participants’ conviction that children from low-income backgrounds can compete academically with children from more affluent backgrounds; intensifies their belief that the achievement gap is solvable; and increases the likelihood that they will pursue a career in the education sector.
Will Dobbie and Roland G. Fryer, Jr. (2015) Harvard University

Impacts on Mindsets/Perceptions of Teach For America Corps Members
A quasi-experimental study of Teach For America finds its program significantly impacts corps members’ perceptions of disadvantaged communities. Compared to similar applicants who did not participate in the program, Teach For Aamerica alumni exhibit less class-based and racial resentment, an increased identification with disadvantaged minorities, and higher agreement on how systemic injustice affects educational and other social outcomes. The study was published in the American Political Science Review and received the Best Paper award from the American Political Science Association in 2018.
Cecilia Mo and Katherine Conn (2018) “When Do the Advantaged See the Disadvantages of Others? A Quasi-Experimental Study of National Service.” American Political Science Review, 1-21. doi:10.1017/S0003055418000412

Impacts on Women’s Political Ambition
Teach For America female alumni are, on average, 10 percentage points more likely to be interested in running for political office and six percentage points more likely to participate in political campaigns. The effects are particularly stronger for women of color who were 22.7 percentage points more likely to pursue a political office. The researchers argue that Teach For America helps to expose women to systemic issues affecting educational equity and helps integrate women in networks that help foster continued civic participation.
Cecilia Hyunjung Mo, Katharine M. Conn & Georgia Anderson-Nilsson (2019) Youth national service and women's political ambition: the case of Teach For America, Politics, Groups, and Identities, 7:4, 864-877, DOI: 10.1080/21565503.2019.1630288

Impacts on Alumni Beliefs and Educational Policy Preferences
Teach For America alumni are significantly more likely to believe that widespread social injustices and disparities are the primary causes of income-based differences in student academic performance. When evaluating educational policies to address these differences, the study found that Teach For America alumni were no more likely, and at times less likely, than non-participants to recommend various ‘politically-charged’ policy levers—including school choice policies, Common Core standards, and teacher merit pay—as effective policy instruments. Instead, Teach For America’s former participants favored more investments in early childhood education and school-based services for low-income children, as well as increased efforts to elevate the status of the teaching profession. Moreover, Teach For America alumni were more likely to believe in the potential of teachers to affect positive change in student outcomes, and expressed more confidence in the notion that income-based educational opportunity gap is a solvable problem.
Conn, Katherine, Virginia Lovison, and Cecilia Mo. 2019. “What is the Effect of Teaching in Underserved Schools on Beliefs About Education Inequality? Evidence from Teach For America”

Civilian national service programs can powerfully increase youth voter turnout
What is the effect of enrolling young people to participate as Teach For America (TFA) teachers on rates of voter turnout? By matching TFA administrative records to large-scale nationwide voter files and through the employment of a fuzzy regression discontinuity design the study finds that serving as a teacher in the TFA national service program has a large effect on civic participation—substantially increasing voter turnout rates among applicants admitted to the program. This effect is noticeably larger than that of previous efforts to increase youth turnout. Particularly, after their 2 years of service, it is estimated that these young adults vote at a rate 5.7 to 8.6 percentage points higher than that of similar nonparticipant counterparts. The results suggest that civilian national service programs targeted at young people show great promise in narrowing the enduring participation gap between younger and older citizens in the United States.
Mo, Cecilia Hyunjung, John B. Holbein, and Elizabeth Mitchell Elder. "Civilian national service programs can powerfully increase youth voter turnout." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119.29 (2022): e2122996119.

Community and Systems Impact

Our research agenda is exploring challenging questions about the long-term impact of our network partners, and we are working with researchers to innovate on new qualitative and quantitative methods to explore how collective leadership development contributes to systems change. Two important reports exploring transformation in schools in London and Washington, D.C. both point to the critical role of Teach First and Teach For America in developing a critical mass of leaders who enabled this progress. Additional studies on the systemic impact of Teach For All partners are in design or development.

TEACH FIRST

Lessons from London Schools: Investigating the Success
Between 2003 and 2011 London schools moved from being the lowest performing in England, to being the highest performing, and now have the highest percentage of schools rated ‘outstanding.’ A report exploring the improvement journey suggests that Teach First was one of four enablers of London’s success.
Sam Baars, Eleanor Bernardes, Alex Elwick, Abigail Malortie, Tony McAleavy, Laura McInerney, Loic Menzies and Anna Riggall (2015) CfBT Education Trust.

TEACH FOR AMERICA

Teach For America alumni network attributed to systems progress toward improved student outcomes in the District of Columbia
A report detailing how DC Public Schools transformed teaching noted that much of the district’s leadership team came to education through Teach For America: “[Kaya] Henderson [Teach For America alumna] brought in a raft of talent to help lead reform, with many on her new team having started in public education through Teach For America.” The report provides a compelling story for how Teach For America alumni collectively led to policy shifts that helped to shape the structures of the District of Columbia Public School System that led to dramatic increases in student outcomes. This 2020 article by the same author highlights the five major factors that led to this progress, including that “many leaders started in public education in Teach For America, a reflection of that organization’s substantial contribution to school reform beyond the classroom.”
Tomas Toch (2018) “A Policymaker’s Playbook: Transforming Public School Teaching in the Nation’s Capital. FutureED at Georgetown University. (2018) (Updated on July 2020)

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