Teacher Performance-Based Incentives and Learning Inequality

Deon Filmer, James Habyarimana and Shwetlena Sabarwal

Journal of Human Resources, 2025, vol. 60, issue 3, 812-856

Abstract: This study evaluates the impacts of low-cost, performance-based incentives in Tanzanian secondary schools. Results from a two-phase randomized trial show that teacher incentives, when sustained for two years, led to persistent, modest average improvements in student achievement across different subjects. Randomly withdrawing incentives after a year did not lead to a “discouragement effect.” Incentives may have exacerbated learning inequality across schools. Increases in learning were concentrated among initially better-performing schools. We also find weak evidence of teacher incentives exacerbating learning inequality within initially better-performing schools. Finally, the study finds that incentivizing students without simultaneously incentivizing teachers did not produce learning gains.

JEL-codes: I21 I28 J45 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
Note: DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.1120-11313R2
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:uwp:jhriss:v:60:y:2025:i:3:p:812-856

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