School-based teacher hiring and achievement inequality: A comparative perspective

The study examines associations between school-based teacher hiring and achievement inequality in mathematics and science. Using a nationally representative sample of 295,416 students from 34 OECD member countries who participated in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012, the study finds that school-based hiring is associated with a larger gap in the distribution of teacher quality between advantaged and disadvantaged schools. This study also finds an association between school-based hiring and inequality of achievement based on socioeconomic status. This suggests that school-based hiring may contribute to exacerbating inequality in learning opportunities and increasing family background’s positive effect on achievement.