It's Who You Know: How Teachers Use Social Networks to Find Jobs in Portfolio Districts

• In Event: Revolving Doors? Teacher Recruitment and Retention

Abstract

One key driver of teachers’ job mobility and work decisions may be their social networks--the colleagues, family members, and friends they turn to for connections or for advice during their job search. However, we know little about how teachers use their networks to find jobs, and how their use of networks varies by context or career stage. This study draws on 120 interviews to examine how teachers activate their social networks during the process of searching for jobs in three portfolio districts: New Orleans, Detroit, and San Antonio. Understanding the role of social networks in teachers’ job decisions may extend theories of how teacher labor markets operate and may help generate policies to address inequities in teacher quality across schools.

Authors

• Huriya Jabbar, The University of Texas at Austin

• Emily Germain, The University of Texas - Austin

• Andrene Castro, The University of Texas - Austin

• Marisa A. Cannata, Vanderbilt University