Workshop on Human Potential (Alejandro Ome, Harris)

Alejandro Ome, Doctoral Student, Harris School of Public Policy and CHPPP Dissertation Fellow, will present, "Identifying Good teachers: Evidence from Teachers' Test Scores in Colombia."

Abstract: Compensation systems that recognize teachers' merit and productivity constitute a promising area for education policy. Since 2009 the Colombian government conditions teachers’ promotions on passing written examinations. In this paper I use a school fixed effects model to study whether or not this promotion system rewards the better teachers. I find that the percentage of teachers passing the written exam is positively correlated with students' tests scores. These results suggest that the new promotion policy does help identifying the better teachers.

Bio: Alejandro Ome is currently a PhD candidate at the Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago, and a CHPPP fellow. Alejandro has focused his research on education policy. He has specifically worked on analyzing how different policies can enhance the quality of education, especially policies that attempt to introduce meritocracy and accountability in schools.

The Workshop/Working Group on Human Potential is one of the core intellectual activities of the Center for Human Potential and Public Policy. It is an interdisciplinary forum for graduate students, post docs, and faculty whose work concerns behavior, health, and well-being across the lifespan and the ways in which technology and public policy shape human potential and achievement. The Workshop/Working group has active members in the areas of the social, behavioral, health, and policy sciences.

The Workshop/Working Group on Human Potential alternates between two types of sessions. Not only do we regularly invite outside speakers for a traditional "workshop" presentation, but we also provide a forum for faculty, post-doctoral fellows, and graduate students to present research-in-progress in order to receive critical and constructive feedback.