Investigating the "Draw of Home" and Teachers' Career Decisions

Research shows that teachers seek out jobs close to home, but previous studies have been unable to test whether proximity to home is related to teacher retention. We leverage a unique dataset from Teach For America (TFA) linking individuals' preferred teaching locations, actual teaching locations, and years in the profession seven years after entering. Controlling for a detailed set of background, preference, and teaching assignment variables through a fixed effects design, we find that individuals who were assigned to a TFA region in their home state taught, on average, for 0.15 years longer than they likely would have had they not begun teaching in their home state. This effect is strongest for teachers of color and those from a low-income background. We estimate that being assigned to teach in one's home state leads to 0.36 more years in teaching for those from a low-income background and 0.47 more years in teaching for teachers of color. Overall, this study provides evidence of a positive home state effect on teacher retention. Our results lend support for policies and programs that recruit from or nudge teachers toward teaching in their home states, particularly through alternative certification pathways, and to increase teacher diversity.