But a mountain of recent evidence suggests that teacher skill has less influence on a student's performance than a completely different set of factors: namely, how much kids have learned from their parents, how hard they work at home, and whether the parents have instilled an appetite for education.

Steven D. Levitt
About This Quote

The idea that a child's performance in school is predominantly determined by his or her teacher's skills is not consistent with the evidence. Sure, the teacher has influence over the student in terms of marking and providing feedback, but the substantial amount of evidence in favor of a "home effect" suggests that a much bigger factor in a student's success is the home environment.

Source: Think Like A Freak

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