Teacher Value-Added Using Young Lives Ethiopia School Survey Data

The crisis of low learning levels in Ethiopia, as in many sub-Saharan African contexts, affects a majority of pupils. While reducing inequality (dispersion) in learning levels is desirable, it is desirable only to the extent that this reduction comes from ‘raising the floor’, not at the expense of pupils who are on target to succeed. Enabling teachers to raise learning outcomes for low and middle performers is key. Where data are available, as is rare in Africa, estimates of value-added and especially of ‘differential value-added’ may serve as a diagnostic tool to help identify which teachers add more value to pupils’ learning and to the learning of particular groups of pupils; and under what conditions.