Katharine Strunk

Associate Professor of Education and Policy at the University of Southern California

Topic: 
When Tenure Ends: The Short-run Effects of the Elimination of Louisiana’s Teacher Employment Protections on Teacher Exit and Retirement
Date: 
Thursday, December 1, 2016 - 3:30pm to 5:00pm

Location: 

CERAS Learning Hall

Admission: 
Free and Open to the public

Many states have reduced or removed tenure protections for teachers. However, little is known about the impacts of tenure reforms on the teacher workforce. Using comparative interrupted time series analyses, we assess the effects of tenure elimination in Louisiana on teacher attrition, particularly for groups who should be similarly affected by other conditions but differentially affected by the reform. We find evidence of an increase in attrition in the year of tenure removal, concentrated among teachers who derive a greater benefit from tenure or have a more certain alternative income through retirement. We find no evidence of effects on populations that should not be affected by the reform and no differential effects across groups that face similar benefits from tenure.