That’s what a paper from economists at Harvard and Columbia universities seems to indicate.

There’s a lot of data, and some more interesting researchy stuff in there, but the bottom line is this:

We conclude that great teachers create great value, and that test-score based value-added measures are one useful input into identifying such teachers.

Kids are more likely to go to college, less likely to get pregnant as teens, and more inclined to make more money, after having a great teacher who helps raise their assessment scores.

Perhaps more shocking is the impact a bad teacher can have.

Nicholas Kristof at the New York Times has a good op-ed on the study, and he summarizes:

Conversely, a very poor teacher has the same effect as a pupil missing 40 percent of the school year. We don’t allow that kind of truancy, so it’s not clear why we should put up with such poor teaching.

Which is not to say we should fire “very poor teachers,” but provide mentorship and professional development support to make those teachers great.