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The Determinants of Teacher Attrition in Upstate New York

Author

Listed:
  • Jan Ondrich

    (Maxwell School, Syracuse University, New York)

  • Emily Pas

    (Maxwell School, Syracuse University, New York)

  • John Yinger

    (Maxwell School, Syracuse University, New York)

Abstract

Policy makers and scholars have long been interested in teacher attrition, particularly in poor, urban schools. We investigate the determinants of teacher attrition in five large metropolitan areas in upstate New York. We focus on a teacher's decision to leave a school district or to leave teaching using the Prentice-Gloeckler-Meyer technique for proportional hazards with unobserved heterogeneity. We find that teachers in districts with higher salaries relative to nonteaching salaries in the same county are less likely to leave teaching and that a teacher is less likely to change districts when he or she teaches in a district near the top of the teacher salary distribution in that county. We also find, however, that the impact of salary on the probability of leaving teaching is small and that very large salary increases would be required to offset the impact of concentrated student disadvantage on the attrition of female teachers.

Suggested Citation

  • Jan Ondrich & Emily Pas & John Yinger, 2008. "The Determinants of Teacher Attrition in Upstate New York," Public Finance Review, , vol. 36(1), pages 112-144, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:pubfin:v:36:y:2008:i:1:p:112-144
    DOI: 10.1177/1091142106294716
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Varga, Júlia, 2013. "A közalkalmazotti béremelés hatása a tanárok pályaelhagyási döntéseire [The effect of a public-sector pay increase on teachers attrition]," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(5), pages 579-600.
    2. Gilpin, Gregory A., 2011. "Reevaluating the effect of non-teaching wages on teacher attrition," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(4), pages 598-616, August.
    3. Daniel Aaronson & Katherine Meckel, 2009. "How will baby boomer retirements affect teacher labor markets?," Economic Perspectives, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, vol. 33(Q IV), pages 2-15.
    4. Gregory Gilpin, 2009. "Reevaluating the Effect of Non-Teaching Wages on Teacher Attrition," CAEPR Working Papers 2009-022, Center for Applied Economics and Policy Research, Department of Economics, Indiana University Bloomington.

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