Do higher salaries yield better teachers and better student outcomes?

Principal Investigator(s):  View help for Principal Investigator(s) José María Cabrera Berobide, Universidad de Montevideo; Dinand Webbink, Erasmus School of Economics

Version:  View help for Version V1

Name File Type Size Last Modified
Files-for-data-repository_Cabrera_Webbink.zip application/zip 3 MB 02/26/2019 10:58:AM

File Citation: 

Cabrera, José María, and Webbink, Dinand. Do higher salaries yield better teachers and better student outcomes?: Files for data repository_Cabrera_Webbink.zip. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2019-02-26. https://doi.org/10.3886/E108623V1-11681

To view the citation for the overall project, see http://doi.org/10.3886/E108623V1.

File Description

Summary:  View help for Summary We study the effects of a policy aimed at attracting more experienced and better qualified teachers in primary schools in disadvantaged neighborhoods in Uruguay. Teachers in these schools could earn higher salaries, and more experienced teachers are given priority in choosing teaching positions. Eligibility for the program was based on a poverty index with a cutoff rule. Estimates from regression discontinuity models show that the policy successfully led to ‘hiring experience from other schools’, and also increased tenure. Overall, the effect on student outcomes was small. We rationalize this result by showing that the program may have increased experience in ways that are not strongly associated with improved student outcomes. Consistent with this, we do find achievement gains for students in schools that saw a reduction in the share of very inexperienced teachers. The results underscore that increases in teacher pay may only improve student outcomes if it increases those teacher characteristics that actually improve student outcomes.

Scope of File

Subject Terms:  View help for Subject Terms teacher salaries; teacher experience; student performance; disadvantaged students
Geographic Coverage:  View help for Geographic Coverage Uruguay
Time Period(s):  View help for Time Period(s) 2005 – 2013


Related Publications

Download this file

Published Versions

V1 [2019-02-26]

Export Metadata

Dublin Core

DDI 2.5

Report a Problem

Found a serious problem with the data, such as disclosure risk or copyrighted content? Let us know.

This material is distributed exactly as it arrived from the data depositor. ICPSR has not checked or processed this material. Users should consult the investigator(s) if further information is desired.