ALT Does Better Academic Preparation Predict Teacher Workforce Outcomes? Dan Goldhaber, John Krieg, Roddy Theobald, Vivien Chen, Jennifer M. Dechaine, Amy Roth McDuffie, & David Slavit CALDER Working Paper No. 346-0926 September 2026 Abstract We link comprehensive student data on university applications and transcripts from three public universities in Washington to teacher workforce entry, effectiveness (measured by value added), and retention. We find that SAT scores are not strongly related to any of these outcomes, but college students with higher university GPAs are more likely to become teachers, and those who enter the workforce with higher GPAs are more effective as measured by math and English language arts (ELA) value-added. These findings are robust to sample selection adjustments and to checks for selection into different college courses, school districts, and out of the teacher workforce. The relationship between GPA and teacher effectiveness is driven largely by ...

ALT Where Have All the Zeros Gone? The Landscape of No Zeros Grading Policies Dan Goldhaber, Maia Goodman Young, & Luke Caldwell CALDER Working Paper No. 345-0826 August 2026 Abstract: Debates about grading reform are intensifying, yet little is known about the formal policies that govern how teachers assign grades. This paper examines one prominent example – no-zeros policies (NZPs), which prohibit assigning zeros for assignments or course grades – by analyzing policy documents from school districts in Washington State and linking them to administrative data on district and school characteristics. We find that NZP adoption has more than doubled over the past decade, from roughly 30 districts in 2015-16 to nearly 70 in 2024-25, with the sharpest growth at the high school level. We develop a typology revealing substantial variation in how NZPs are structured, where they appear, and how they are communicated to families. Perhaps most striking, despite being framed as equity-promoting...

ALT Evidence on Team-Based Teaching Models in Arizona Mary Laski, Calen Clifton, & Dan Goldhaber CALDER Working Paper No. 343-0826 August 2026 Abstract: Strategic staffing models are scaling rapidly nationwide. We study the impacts of a team teaching model implemented in one large district in Arizona over several years. We exploit the staggered rollout over time in a difference-in-differences design to estimate effects on student test achievement. We find overall null impacts on student learning, but important heterogeneity by grade and subject. In particular, we find consistently positive effects on middle school math achievement across all specifications, but negative effects at the elementary level in some specifications. Across grades and subjects, teamed teachers also have significantly lower turnover rates and higher evaluation ratings, but the patterns of effects are not consistent with the achievement results. The student achievement findings are broadly consistent with the...

ALT High School Academic Acceleration and Early Postsecondary Outcomes: Evidence from Washington State Megan Austin, Preeya Mbekeani, Ben Backes, Bingjie Chen, & Dan Goldhaber CALDER Working Paper No. 341-0826 August 2026 Abstract: aking advanced courses in high school predicts positive later outcomes, yet many seemingly prepared students do not take such courses. Acceleration policies that automatically enroll high achieving high school students into more advanced courses have been shown to increase advanced coursetaking, but little is known about the longer-term impacts of these policies. We studied districts in Washington that implemented Academic Acceleration policies, which identified proficient 11th and 12th grade students for automatic enrollment into advanced and dual credit courses. Using a difference-in-differences design, we examined the effects of Academic Acceleration on college enrollment and early postsecondary coursetaking. We found no significant effects of the ...