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Teacher retention in Appalachian schools: Evidence from Kentucky

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  • Cowen, Joshua M.
  • Butler, J.S.
  • Fowles, Jacob
  • Streams, Megan E.
  • Toma, Eugenia F.

Abstract

In this paper we analyze teacher attrition from Appalachian school districts over nearly twenty years of data. We employ a unique panel of public K-12 teachers active in Kentucky between 1986 and 2005, and discern several patterns of interest to scholars and policymakers. Inter-district mobility is rare in Kentucky, and rarer still among Appalachian teachers. Few teachers transfer between regions, but teachers are considerably more likely to leave Appalachia than to transfer to it. Our results also indicate that Appalachian teachers are more likely to exit the profession. One implication of this evidence is that improvements to teacher quality in such isolated areas would require a focus on the home labor pool.

Suggested Citation

  • Cowen, Joshua M. & Butler, J.S. & Fowles, Jacob & Streams, Megan E. & Toma, Eugenia F., 2012. "Teacher retention in Appalachian schools: Evidence from Kentucky," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(4), pages 431-441.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:31:y:2012:i:4:p:431-441
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2011.12.005
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Figlio, D. & Karbownik, K. & Salvanes, K.G., 2016. "Education Research and Administrative Data," Handbook of the Economics of Education,, Elsevier.
    2. Claudia Palma-Vasquez & Diego Carrasco & Mónica Tapia-Ladino, 2022. "Teacher Mobility: What Is It, How Is It Measured and What Factors Determine It? A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-22, February.
    3. Joshua M. Cowen & Marcus A. Winters, 2013. "Do Charters Retain Teachers Differently? Evidence from Elementary Schools in Florida," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 8(1), pages 14-42, January.
    4. Heissel, Jennifer, 2016. "The relative benefits of live versus online delivery: Evidence from virtual algebra I in North Carolina," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 99-115.
    5. Heissel, Jennifer A. & Ladd, Helen F., 2018. "School turnaround in North Carolina: A regression discontinuity analysis," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 302-320.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Teacher labor markets; Rural education; Education reform;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education

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