Teacher salaries and teacher attrition

This paper examines teacher labor mobility within and out of the teaching profession. Previous studies of teacher mobility treat attrition as a binary choice where inter-district transfers are grouped with stayers or exits. Either case ignores the possibility that transfer attrition may be influenced by different factors than exit attrition. Using data for new teachers in Wisconsin, I estimate separate hazard rates for transfers and exits. Transfers are found to respond most strongly when district salaries are increased relative to nearby districts. Salary increases for more experienced teachers may also reduce exit attrition among newer female teachers. Simulations suggest that fairly large salary increases are needed to reduce attrition out of Milwaukee down to the levels experienced by the average Wisconsin district.