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Do Teachers Really Leave for Higher Paying Jobs in Alternative Occupations?

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Abstract

In this paper we examine a very common perception which plays a central role in much current educational policy debate - that the large majority of teacher attrition is driven by the allure of higher paying jobs in alternative occupations. Using unique data from the state of Georgia that are created by merging administrative data from the educational system with wage records from the Unemployment Insurance system, we find very strong evidence that this common perception is not correct.

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  • Benjamin Scafidi & David L. Sjoquist & Todd R. Stinebrickner, 2005. "Do Teachers Really Leave for Higher Paying Jobs in Alternative Occupations?," University of Western Ontario, Centre for Human Capital and Productivity (CHCP) Working Papers 20055, University of Western Ontario, Centre for Human Capital and Productivity (CHCP).
    • Handle: RePEc:uwo:hcuwoc:20055
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