For Teachers, More Experience Means More Effectiveness, Right?

Common wisdom and current pay scales suggest that the longer one teaches the more effective they become.  However, there is substantial research to suggest that the relationship between experience and effectiveness is not so linear. Here (The Impact of Teacher Experience) is a link to a recent publication from the Urban Institute. In short, teachers, on average, make substantial gains in their first five years of teaching.  After this point, however, gains are marginal, and there is some evidence to suggest that, on average, there can be points of decline. "This and other research shows that, on average, teachers with more than 20 years of experience are more effective than teachers with no experience, but are not much more effective than those with 5 years of experience" (Rice, 2010, p. 2).  The brief does acknowledge the heterogenity across subjects and grade-levels and the complexity of differential attrition rates and teaching positions (e.g., high vs. low poverty schools). Nonetheless, the findings are noteworthy--experience does not always correlate to increases in student achievement!

Price suggests front-loading experience and pay in the first few years, adding incentives for on-going professional development, redistributing experienced teachers. Beyond these general suggestions, how can we help teachers continually better their practice?  From a more controversial standpoint, how can we attract teachers who are more driven to improve their practice?  From (my favorite) a person-environment fit perspective, how do we shape the profession so that it promotes growth and attracts growth-oriented people? As a school psychologist, I cannot help to wonder the relationships between teacher experience and students' relationship with teachers, or social-emotional well-being.

Inevitably, there will be some marked decline in marginal improvement, but to see actual declines in effectiveness is unsettling and a call to action.  This is certainly an opportunity to move the profession forward, and let's not forget the ultimate benefactor-- Students!