Dive Summary:

• The first large-scale, randomized study of Teach for America secondary math teachers shows that students in their classes performed better on end-of-year tests.
• The study also found that Teach for America teachers were more effective than teachers from other certification programs.
• The study followed about 4,500 students at middle and high schools across the country and found the bump in their test scores equivalent to having spent an extra few months in school.

From the article:

... Only 23 percent of teachers from traditional or less-selective certification programs graduated from a selective college or university, while 81 percent of TFA teachers did. And although the TFA teachers were less likely to have majored or minored in math, they scored significantly higher on a test of math knowledge than their teacher counterparts. ...