Policymakers aim to improve student outcomes through the hiring of highly qualified teachers, but there is little consensus on what qualities make a teacher "good." Research on teacher characteristics that impact student achievement is inconclusive. This article examines recent empirical evidence on teacher quality in education production.

Economics of education has grown in importance over the past two decades, as education is viewed as a critical factor in a nation's economic success. Economics can help improve the productivity of educational institutions by focusing on incentives, choice, and competition. The article reviews important theoretical concepts in the economics of education, including human capital, markets, and education production, and how they have been used in empirical studies.