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Think Again: Do the Returns to Teacher Experience Fizzle Out?

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Title: Think Again: Do the Returns to Teacher Experience Fizzle Out?
Language: English
Authors: Anne Podolsky, Linda Darling-Hammond, Thomas B. Fordham Institute, Learning Policy Institute
Source: Thomas B. Fordham Institute. 2025.
Availability: Thomas B. Fordham Institute. 1701 K Street NW Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20006. Tel: 202-223-5452; Fax: 202-223-9226; e-mail: thegadfly@fordhaminstitute.org; Web site: https://fordhaminstitute.org/
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 18
Publication Date: 2025
Sponsoring Agency: Thomas B. Fordham Foundation
Intended Audience: Policymakers
Document Type: Information Analyses
Descriptors: Teacher Improvement, Work Environment, Teacher Persistence, Disadvantaged Schools, Teacher Effectiveness, Teaching Experience, Academic Achievement, Teacher Collaboration, Compensation (Remuneration)
Abstract: For many years, the conventional wisdom was that teachers' experience had little bearing on their effectiveness after a few years on the job. This perception has sometimes been used to justify underinvestment in policies aimed at retaining teachers. Yet most rigorous studies over the past two decades have found that, on average, teachers continue to improve as they accumulate additional experience, especially in environments that support professional learning and collaboration. This brief addresses the value of teaching experience based on recent research, summarizes the conditions that foster ongoing teacher improvement, and explores potential implications of this work for federal, state, and local policy. The common refrain that teaching experience doesn't matter after the first few years in the classroom is not supported by the evidence. Rather, it has become increasingly clear that teachers continue to improve well into the second decade of teaching, albeit more gradually than they do initially. Four recommendations are provided to policymakers to support teachers' continued growth and retainment.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: ED673523
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Thomas B. Fordham Institute. 1701 K Street NW Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20006. Tel: 202-223-5452; Fax: 202-223-9226; e-mail: thegadfly@fordhaminstitute.org; Web site: https://fordhaminstitute.org/
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  Data: For many years, the conventional wisdom was that teachers' experience had little bearing on their effectiveness after a few years on the job. This perception has sometimes been used to justify underinvestment in policies aimed at retaining teachers. Yet most rigorous studies over the past two decades have found that, on average, teachers continue to improve as they accumulate additional experience, especially in environments that support professional learning and collaboration. This brief addresses the value of teaching experience based on recent research, summarizes the conditions that foster ongoing teacher improvement, and explores potential implications of this work for federal, state, and local policy. The common refrain that teaching experience doesn't matter after the first few years in the classroom is not supported by the evidence. Rather, it has become increasingly clear that teachers continue to improve well into the second decade of teaching, albeit more gradually than they do initially. Four recommendations are provided to policymakers to support teachers' continued growth and retainment.
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      – TitleFull: Think Again: Do the Returns to Teacher Experience Fizzle Out?
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