Three essays on educator labor markets : evidence from Missouri public schools
Abstract
This dissertation consists of three essays. The first essay investigates the feasibility of moving high-performing teachers to low-performing schools using administrative micro data from Missouri. I find when a teacher changes schools, other things being equal, this teacher is more likely to go to a socioeconomically similar school in close proximity. The second essay studies the differences in the mobility pattern between intradistrict transfers and inter-district transfers. The main difference is, other things being equal; intra-district transfers are more likely to move to socioeconomically similar schools. This pattern is not evident for inter-district transfers. The third essay utilizes IV strategy and value-added modeling to estimate the impact of principal turnover on student academic achievement. We use the distance from peak-value pension wealth as an IV for the endogenous principal turnover variable. We find that, principal turnover has no significant impact on student academic achievement if a principal turns over at the end of previous school year. We find weak evidence from IV regression that principal turnover has a negative impact on student academic achievement if a principal left two years ago.
Degree
Ph. D.
Thesis Department
Rights
OpenAccess.
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