Wage Dispersion, Salary Referents, and Principal Turnover Behavior

• In Event: Park Central Roundtable Session 13
  In Roundtable Session: Principal Turnover and Job Satisfaction

Abstract

This study examines structures of salary dispersion and their relationship to principal turnover. With literature establishing that salary is a significant factor in the decision to leave a school, this paper looks to see how it relates to turnover behavior based on theories of (dis)satisfaction and fairness for principals in Texas from 1995-2012. By utilizing measures of internal (within district) and external (between district) wage dispersion with multilevel discrete-time hazard analysis, I estimate the influence of wage referents on the odds ratio of transferring or exiting the principalship, whilst controlling for the nested nature of the position. Preliminary results indicate that internal referents matter for transfer, and external referents matter for exit. Implications for district wage policies are discussed.

Authors

• Andrew Pendola, Auburn University

• Yifan Bai, American Institutes for Research