Children in developing countries have deep deficits in math and language. Personalized coaching for teachers has been proposed as a way of raising teacher quality and child achievement. We designed a coaching program that focused on one aspect of teacher quality—teacher-child interactions—that researchers in education and psychology have argued is critical for child development and learning. We implemented the coaching program in Ecuador, with 100 1st grade teachers randomly assigned to treatment and 100 to control. Coaching improved the quality of teacher-child interactions but reduced child achievement. Our results underline the importance of evaluating new forms of professional development for teachers, even those that follow best practice, before these interventions are taken to scale.
Authors
![Pedro Carneiro](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2022-07/Pedro_Carneiro.jpg?itok=jj8qq067)
Research Fellow University College London
Pedro is a Professor of Economics at University College London and an economist in the IFS' Centre for Microdata Methods and Practice (cemmap).
![Person graphic](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2022-06/IFS-person-graphic.png?itok=hWCtTSrz)
Yyannú Cruz-Aguayo
![Person graphic](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2022-06/IFS-person-graphic.png?itok=hWCtTSrz)
Norbert Schady
![Person graphic](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2022-06/IFS-person-graphic.png?itok=hWCtTSrz)
Ruthy Intriago
![Person graphic](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2022-06/IFS-person-graphic.png?itok=hWCtTSrz)
Sarah Schodt
Working Paper details
- DOI
- 10.47004/wp.cem.2022.0522
- Publisher
- The IFS
Suggested citation
Carneiro, P et al. (2022). When promising interventions fail: personalized coaching for teachers in a middle-income country. London: The IFS. Available at: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/when-promising-interventions-fail-personalized-coaching-teachers-middle-income-country (accessed: 30 June 2024).
Grant
Related documents
More from IFS
Understand this issue
![Westminster](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2024-06/Westminters%20Feature.jpg?itok=SDkNm-_8)
Election Special: Is there a 'conspiracy of silence' between both parties?
6 June 2024
![Christine Farquharson](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2024-06/Christine-Farquharson.jpg?itok=GvFkPCbx)
What does the Conservative's higher education announcement this week mean for apprenticeships and 'low-value' university courses?
1 June 2024
![Child drawing](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2024-04/child-drawing_0.jpg?itok=Qq8x74st)
Sure Start achieved its aims, then we threw it away
15 April 2024
Policy analysis
![Breakfast club](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2024-06/Breakfast-club.jpg?itok=dEyGgrwT)
Free breakfast clubs in schools: what Labour’s plans would mean for pupils and families
25 June 2024
![Shopping street](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2024-06/Street-scene-.jpg?itok=R39cR6Xp)
How do the last five years measure up on levelling up?
19 June 2024
![School classroom](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2024-06/schools%20feature.jpg?itok=PyKUOuOb)
The uncertain course for school and college funding over the next parliament
19 June 2024
Academic research
![Working Paper Cover](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait/public/2024-05/WP202423-Targeting-men-women-or-both-to-reduce-child-marriage_Page_01.jpg?itok=llhHsGnn)
Targeting men, women or both to reduce child marriage
28 May 2024
![Working Paper Cover](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait/public/2024-06/WP202425-The-intergenerational-elasticity-of-earnings-exploring-the-mechanisms_Page_01.jpg?itok=BhqlYpqX)
The intergenerational elasticity of earnings: Exploring the mechanisms
3 June 2024
![Working Paper Cover](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait/public/2024-05/WP202422-Keeping-the-peace-while-getting-your-way-information-persuasion-and-intimate-partner-violence_Page_01.jpg?itok=JR-kAVHv)
Keeping the peace whilst getting your way: Information, persuasion and intimate partner violence
17 May 2024