David Blazar is an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland College Park in the Education Policy program, as well as the faculty director of the Maryland Equity Project. With training in the economics of education, Blazar's research examines the efficient, effective, and equitable allocation of educational resources, focusing in particular on resources related to teachers. His research portfolio examines: (1) characteristics of effective teachers (e.g., training, demographics) and effective teaching (e.g., classroom practice) that improve student outcomes; (2) whether and how varied instructional resources (e.g., professional development, curricula, evaluation) improve teacher practice and student outcomes; and (3) policies and practices that successfully recruit and retain teachers in the profession. His research has been published in Educational Researcher, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Review of Educational Research, among other publications. Blazar received the Excellence in Scholarship (Pre-Tenure) award from the University of Maryland College of Education, and the Jean Flanigan Outstanding Dissertation Award from the Association for Education Finance and Policy. He received his doctorate and master's degrees from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and his bachelor's degree in history and literature from Harvard College. Prior to graduate school, he taught high-school English Language Arts in New York City.
David Blazar
EdWorkingPapers
Differential Responses to Teacher Evaluation Incentives: Expectancy, Race, Experience, and Task
Teacher evaluation systems and their associated incentives have produced fairly mixed results. Our analyses are motivated by theory and descriptive evidence that accountability systems are highly racialized, and that individuals are less likely to respond to incentives when they have low… more →
Pathways into the CTE Teaching Profession: A Descriptive Analysis of Degrees, Licenses, and Race in Maryland
Despite substantial interest in Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses in U.S. high schools—and associated scholarship on this topic—very little is known about characteristics of CTE teachers who are a critical resource for program implementation and expansion. Using eight years of… more →
Do Grow-Your-Own Programs Work? Evidence from the Teacher Academy of Maryland
Local teacher recruitment through “grow-your-own” programs is a prominent strategy to address workforce shortages and ensure that incoming teachers resemble, understand, and have strong connections to their communities. We exploit the staggered rollout of the Teacher Academy of Maryland career… more →
Disparate Pathways: Understanding Racial Disparities in Teaching
Mounting evidence supporting the advantages of a diverse teacher workforce prompts policymakers to scrutinize existing recruitment pathways. Following four cohorts of Maryland public high-school students over 12 years reveals several insights. Early barriers require timely interventions, aiding… more →
Teachers of Color, Culturally Responsive Teaching, and Student Outcomes: Experimental Evidence from the Random Assignment of Teachers to Classes
Black teachers are critical resources for our children and schools.
Challenges and Tradeoffs of “Good” Teaching: The Pursuit of Multiple Educational Outcomes
The pursuit of multiple educational outcomes makes teaching a complex craft subject to potential conflicts and competing commitments. Using a dataset in which teachers were randomly assigned to students paired with videotapes of instruction, we both document and unpack such a tradeoff. Upper-… more →
Why Do School Districts Matter? An Interdisciplinary Framework and Empirical Review
What guidance does research provide school districts about how to improve system performance and increase equity? Despite over 30 years of inquiry on the topic of effective districts, existing frameworks are relatively narrow in terms of disciplinary focus (primarily educational leadership… more →
Instructional Coaching Personnel and Program Scalability
Instructional coaching is an attractive alternative to one-size-fits-all teacher training and development in part because it is purposefully differentiated: programming is aligned to individual teachers’ needs and implemented by an individual coach. But, how much of the benefit of coaching as an… more →