We use administrative panel data from seven states covering nearly 3 million students to document and explore variation in "academic mobility," a term we use to describe the extent to which students' ranks in the distribution of academic performance change during their public schooling careers. On average, we show that student ranks are…

This study examines the relationship between teacher agency, autonomy, and teacher attrition and shortage challenges in U.S. K-12 education. Utilizing a quantitative approach, a survey was carried out to 200 teachers in Iowa, achieving a 52% response rate. Findings indicate a positive correlation between teacher empowerment and reduced attrition…

We use 35 years of data on public school teachers in Washington to calculate several different measures of teacher attrition and mobility. We explore how these rates vary over time and their relationship with the state unemployment rate. Annual rates of teacher attrition from the workforce have been between 5% and 8% for each of the past 35 years,…

Research has shown that there is a national problem involving teaching shortages and retention, specifically with novice teachers who have taught for 5 years or less. The problem is that teacher attrition is rising across the United States, which impacts the outcomes of students within affected school districts. The purpose of this basic…

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has had drastic effects on K-12 teachers. Researchers partnered with a teacher advisory board to identify factors associated with K-12 teachers' consideration of leaving teaching during Fall 2020. METHODS: A web-based survey focused on teachers' working experiences was emailed to school union membership listservs…

In the US, teacher attrition is a widespread issue. Attrition rates in the United States are quite high, hovering around 8% over the last 10 years, and they are significantly higher for new teachers and teachers in high-poverty schools and districts (compared to high-achieving jurisdictions like Finland, Singapore, and Ontario, Canada, where only…

The purpose of this study was to understand recruitment and retainment challenges districts faced pre-COVID-19 and changes or additional challenges faced post-COVID-19. Through this study, human resources administrators and teaching and learning administrators were interviewed in pairs and discussed challenges their district has faced related to…

Mapleton Public Schools serves 7,100 students on the northern edge of Denver. In terms of student demographics, Mapleton is similar to many urban districts in Colorado, with 66% of students eligible for free and reduced-priced lunch and 79% of students identifying as Hispanic (Colorado Department of Education, 2023). Like many districts across the…

K-12 educational systems are currently facing the issue of special education teachers leaving their positions prematurely and the struggle to retain highly qualified special education teachers. The attrition rate of special education teachers continues to rise due to the demands placed on this group of teachers, such as behavior and discipline…

This report is about the educational borders that have sprung up across America. Some are school district boundaries. They can form an invisible barrier between students and the schools that they might want to attend. Other borders, often aligned with the municipal boundaries of cities, counties, and states, restrict who can teach where, how much…

We use statewide data from Massachusetts to investigate teacher performance evaluations as a measure of teaching effectiveness. Schools tend to classify most of their teachers as proficient, but we document substantial variation across schools in the extent to which ratings differentiate teachers. Using event study and teacher fixed effects…

There is growing evidence that investment in school facilities, and new school construction in particular, can improve K-12 student outcomes, particularly for low-income students. Funding for school infrastructure, however, is inequitably distributed. Moreover, given a lack of national data on school facilities, researchers have focused on…

Studies have shown how family (typically parents) and formal institutions (specifically schools and universities) shape individuals' dispositions--or "habitus." However, other sites of academic socialisation, such as tutoring centres and coaching institutions (collectively forming a shadow education system), are seldom scrutinised for…

Non-teaching staff comprise over half of all school employees and their turnover may be consequential for school operation, culture, and student success, yet we lack evidence documenting their attrition. We use 11 years of administrative data from Oregon to examine mobility and exit among teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, and other…

As part of a larger project focused on the intersection of educational and health trajectories over the life course, we use in-depth interviews with 28 adults who experienced multiple non-promotional school changes during the course of their K-12 schooling in three U.S. urban centers to advance understanding of frequent student mobility. Prior…