Teacher Quality and Mathematics Performance in Primary Schools in Kenya

This study examines the relationship between teacher quality and student achievement in Mathematics among Grade 4 pupils located in 91 urban primary schools and 181 rural primary schools in Kenya. We hypothesise that teacher quality indicators including teacher characteristics, teacher qualification comprising initial teacher education and teacher professional development and teacher classroom practices are significantly associated with student achievement. Our analysis is based on data from the 2012 World Bank and African Economic Research Consortium Service Delivery Indicators. We test our hypotheses by means of a multilevel regression. We find that teacher quality indicators have significant effects on Mathematics achievement in Kenya. Different effects between urban and rural primary schools are observed. The findings of this study underscore the need for policy makers to focus on improving teacher quality by strengthening initial teacher preparation and in-service programmes.