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Abstract
Recent academic research suggests that teacher quality plays an important role in student achievement; however, empirical research on the efficacy of policies requiring teachers to obtain specific degrees is inconclusive, particularly in elementary education. This paper models a panel data production function with fixed effects using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS-K) to assess the relationship between different undergraduate and graduate majors and elementary student test scores. Specifically, we aim to discern if there is a difference in teacher efficacy within the different education related majors (e.g. early childhood education and elementary education) and between education and non-education related majors.