Chapter 1411 respectively.^7 The first row uses the teacher’s own mea-
surement of their children’s emotional health and behav-
ior, while the second row uses the parent’s measurement of
these variables. As can be seen, primary school teachers have
more impact on the emotional health of the children than
on the children’s performance in math.^8
How well do these measures of the teacher’s skills pre-
dict their pupils’ subsequent academic progress? Looking at
the children’s academic progress in math over the follow-
ing years after they were taught by this particular primary
school teacher, the same study shows that the teacher’s ef-
fects on math test scores fade out very rapidly. This has been
found elsewhere.^9 By contrast, the teacher’s skill in influenc-
ing behavior and emotional health has only a small effect
on their math performance at the time, but its effect does
not fade over time.^10 This shows clearly that helping pupil’s
well- being does not detract from, but rather adds to, their
academic performance.
Conclusion
Primary and secondary schools have major effects on the
emotional well- being of their children. The variation across
Table 14.5. How children’s outcomes at 8 and 11 are affected by their
teacher (ALSPAC) (β- coefficients)Outcomes measured by Emotional Behavioral Intellectual
Teacher’s reports 0.23 0.12
0.14
Parents’ reports 0.22 0.09