Improving teaching quality through training: Evidence from the Caucasus

Teacher training constitutes a promising policy area for improving education quality in developing countries. While there is mixed empirical evidence on whether teacher training improves student achievement, some interventions that follow a comprehensive approach on teacher training show positive impacts. In this study we analyze the effect of the Georgian Primary Education Project, an initiative that provided teacher training and other teacher support activities in 122 schools in the Republic of Georgia between 2013 and 2015. We use a quasi-experimental design, specifically a Value-Added model, to estimate the effect of the program on math and Georgian test scores of students that were in grades 1–4 in 2013. We find that the program increased math test scores by 0.27 standard deviations; these gains were observed mostly in students that were in grades 1–3 in 2013, while no effects are observed for students that were in grade 4 in 2013. For Georgian we analyze the results for students that speak Georgian as their native language and for students in minority schools that speak Georgian as a second language. For native speakers we find an average effect of 0.15 standard deviations, in this case, the observed gains are also concentrated in students that were in grades 1–3 in 2013, and no impact is observed on students that were in grade 4 in 2013. We do not find any significant effects on reading Georgian as a second language. This study contributes to the growing literature on comprehensive teacher training as a strategy to improve students’ achievement in developing countries.