Testing, Teacher Turnover, and the Distribution of Teachers Across Grades and Schools
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| Title: | Testing, Teacher Turnover, and the Distribution of Teachers Across Grades and Schools |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Dillon Fuchsman, Tim R. Sass, Gema Zamarro |
| Source: | Education Finance and Policy. 2023 18(4):654-675. |
| Availability: | MIT Press. 55 Hayward Street, Cambridge, MA 02142. Tel: 617-253-2889; Fax: 617-253-1709; e-mail: journals-rights@mit.edu; Web site: http://www.mitpressjournals.org/loi/edfp |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 21 |
| Publication Date: | 2023 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Faculty Mobility, Academic Achievement, High Stakes Tests, Job Satisfaction, Teacher Persistence, Teacher Distribution, Educational Finance, Costs, Educational Policy |
| Geographic Terms: | Georgia |
| DOI: | 10.1162/edfp_a_00376 |
| ISSN: | 1557-3060 1557-3079 |
| Abstract: | Teacher turnover has adverse consequences for student achievement and imposes large financial costs for schools. Some have argued that high-stakes testing may lower teachers' satisfaction with their jobs and could be a major contributor to teacher attrition. In this paper, we exploit changes in the tested grades and subjects in Georgia to study the effects of eliminating high-stakes testing on teacher turnover and the distribution of teachers across grades and schools. To measure the effect of testing pressures on teacher mobility choices we use a difference-in-differences approach, comparing changes in mobility over time in grades/subjects that discontinue testing vis-à-vis grades/subjects that are always tested. Our results show that eliminating testing did not have an impact on the likelihood of leaving teaching, moving between districts, changing schools within a district, or changing grades. Our findings hold for all teachers as well as for the subsample of early career teachers. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2024 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1407195 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Teacher turnover has adverse consequences for student achievement and imposes large financial costs for schools. Some have argued that high-stakes testing may lower teachers' satisfaction with their jobs and could be a major contributor to teacher attrition. In this paper, we exploit changes in the tested grades and subjects in Georgia to study the effects of eliminating high-stakes testing on teacher turnover and the distribution of teachers across grades and schools. To measure the effect of testing pressures on teacher mobility choices we use a difference-in-differences approach, comparing changes in mobility over time in grades/subjects that discontinue testing vis-à-vis grades/subjects that are always tested. Our results show that eliminating testing did not have an impact on the likelihood of leaving teaching, moving between districts, changing schools within a district, or changing grades. Our findings hold for all teachers as well as for the subsample of early career teachers. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1557-3060 1557-3079 |
| DOI: | 10.1162/edfp_a_00376 |
