Ben Backes

Ben Backes is a principal economist with the National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER) at the American Institutes for Research (AIR). Dr. Backes’ work uses matched student and teacher data to estimate the impact of various aspects of teacher preparation and quality on student outcomes. His recent work has focused on specific routes into the profession such as Teach For America and UTeach, changes in teacher licensure policy, and impacts of nontest outcomes such as attendance and school climate views. He has published in various education policy journals, including the Journal of Human Resources, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Economics of Education Review, and the Journal of Education Finance and Policy. His work has also been featured in media outlets such as U.S. News & World Report, The Hechinger Report, Education Week, PolitiFact, and the National Council on Teacher Quality.