A recent study suggests that a great teacher is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of a child’s lifetime. The difference between a strong teacher and a weak teacher at a private kindergarten in Irvine has a lasting impact on a child. Having a good teacher will make a good student who is 1.25% more likely to go to college and 1.25% less likely to become pregnant. Though this is hardly a large percentage, there is an impact over the course of this child’s life. This means each student will go on to make $25,000 or more over a lifetime or $700,000 for an average class size. So, is a good teacher worth the investment to students?

Great teachers are more likely to raise test scores, but more importantly, they leave an impact on their students that cannot be found anywhere else. A recent study examined the idea of replacing the bottom 5% of teachers. These economists found that each student in the classroom would be more than likely to earn more than $52,000 a year in comparison to those students who had poor teachers.

Go The quality of teachers in schools, like an Irvine private kindergarten, is paramount and of utmost important to the future of this country. All of the initiatives state and federal governments have tried to implement—e.g., smaller class sizes, revamping curriculum, technology investments, etc.—all far short of the impact that good teachers have on kids in the classroom. Not only are test scores impacted but feelings of confidence and self-worth are developed more so in a classroom with a great teacher in comparison to a poor teacher.

To ensure that children receive great teachers, better approaches must be made in teacher recruitment. Principals need to find better ways of recruiting teachers to ensure that poor and ineffective teachers do not make it to the classroom. The majority of teachers are hardworking and effective. However, it is the small percentage of poor, ineffective teachers that can make or break a student’s educational experience.