This paper makes use of hierarchical linear modelling to investigate which teacher
characteristics impact significantly on student performance. Using data from the SACMEQIII
study of 2007, an interesting and potentially important finding is that younger teachers are
better able to improve the mean mathematics performance of their students. Furthermore,
younger teachers themselves performance better on subject tests than do their older
counterparts. Changes in teacher education in the late 1990s and early 2000s may explain the
differences in the performance of younger teachers relative to their older counterparts.
However, further investigation is required to fully understand these differences.