Poster #52 - From School to School: The Contours of Within-Field Switching in the Special Education Teacher Labor Market

• In Event: Saturday Poster Luncheon

Abstract

Research on teacher shortages has increasingly informed policy and practice regarding teacher placement, retention, and turnover. However, research has provided limited insights into switching (teaching in one school in one year and switching to another school the following year) even though switchers fill approximately half of all vacated teaching positions in the U.S. each year (roughly 300,000 annually). In a time of potentially exacerbating teacher shortages, understanding more nuanced teacher labor market trends becomes increasingly important, especially for schools and policymakers working to recruit in-demand subject area teachers. 

The present study thereby aims to inform the field about the within-field switching behaviors of teachers, with specific attention to one of the most critically needed subjects—special education. We concentrate on special education teacher switching given the increasing need to address shortages as the proportion of students receiving special education services grows. This study addresses the following broad research questions: (1) What trends define and differentiate SET within-field switching? (2) Which individual, school, and district features associate with SET within-field switching? 

 Utilizing a longitudinal dataset covering more than 1.2 million teachers across 27 years in Texas, we employ a combination of discrete-time hazard and fixed-effect regression models to identify differences between special education teachers (SETs) and core subject teachers (CSTs) in terms of within-field switching patterns. We devote particular attention to traits that generally remain unexamined but highly important in the SET labor market, including teacher (e.g., sex, race, salary) and school correlates (e.g., demographics, size, locale). In addition, we use longitudinal geospatial mapping of switching events to identify high-churn areas and subject-specific mobility corridors across the state. 

We find considerable heterogeneity between SETs and core subject teachers (CSTs) in terms of the frequency, distance, and geography of switching. More specifically, we find that (1) SETs exhibit a pattern of locally-bounded churn, with higher rates, shorter switching distances, and more in-district instances of switching than CSTs; (2) SET within-field switching patterns exhibit differences by sex, race, and school characteristics that may reflect unique commitment and/or opportunity structures compared to CSTs; and (3) SETs are much less likely to switch out of schools with higher relative compensation and those that are racially congruent. 

Results add to our understanding of the SET labor market and point to the overall complexity and content-based idiosyncrasies of teacher switching. Beyond broad policies set to improve teacher retention and stability, the SET pool may require targeted efforts to attract candidates from different mobility regions of the state, including strategic recruiting and targeted position advertising among other switching corridors. Higher relative salaries and identifying racially and/or culturally matched mentors who can help support regionally underrepresented SETs in both professional and pastoral transitions may also be important. As one of the few studies to follow teachers longitudinally across schools and multiple switching events as well as to do so geospatially, we hope to provide comprehensive insight into the SET labor market that can inform local and state policy decisions to address critical SET shortage issues.

Author

• Andrew Pendola, Auburn University
  Presenting Author