Effective teaching in elementary mathematics: Identifying classroom practices that support student achievement

•I examine the relationship between instruction and students’ math achievement.•Identification relies on variation within schools, across grades and years.•I condition estimates on a unique set of teacher characteristics.•Inquiry-oriented math instruction is positively related to student outcomes.•Findings generalize to teachers and classrooms across three urban school districts.

Recent investigations into the education production function have moved beyond traditional teacher inputs, such as education, certification, and salary, focusing instead on observational measures of teaching practice. However, challenges to identification mean that this work has yet to coalesce around specific instructional dimensions that increase student achievement. I build on this discussion by exploiting within-school, between-grade, and cross-cohort variation in scores from two observation instruments; further, I condition on a uniquely rich set of teacher characteristics, practices, and skills. Findings indicate that inquiry-oriented instruction positively predicts student achievement. Content errors and imprecisions are negatively related, though these estimates are sensitive to the set of covariates included in the model. Two other dimensions of instruction, classroom emotional support and classroom organization, are not related to this outcome. Findings can inform recruitment and development efforts aimed at improving the quality of the teacher workforce.