On the Move? Teacher Mobility Patterns in Response to District-Led Whole-School Reform

• In Event: Teacher Labor Market, Distribution, and Retention

Abstract

In 2009 the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) began implementing the Public School Choice Initiative (PSCI), a district-led whole school reform designed to improve the performance of chronically underperforming and newly built schools. Drawing on teacher administrative data from LAUSD (2007/08-2012/13), this paper examines the teacher mobility into and out of PSCI schools and the extent to which these patterns impact the distribution of teacher quality across the district. We find teacher mobility decisions are associated with PSCI both in terms of decisions made at the end of the year schools were identified for treatment as well as at the end of the first year of PSCI implementation, and that PSCI may cause redistribution in teacher quality across LAUSD.

Authors

• Katharine Omenn Strunk, University of Southern California

• Julie A. Marsh, University of Southern California

• Tracey Lynn Weinstein, University of Southern California