Analysis of the Educational Personnel System

Focuses on the mobility patterns of public school teachers in Michigan. Teachers with greater investments in human capital are less likely to leave teaching than teachers with smaller investments, and more likely to receive promotions. Teacher movement generates both pecuniary and non-pecuniary improvements. The net movement is toward administrative positions; higher teaching levels; and districts where salaries are higher, promotions more likely, and students more attractive. Teachers employed by low salary districts or districts with less attractive students are more likely to leave teaching. Student characteristics are more important in teacher decisions to leave teaching or to transfer than are salary considerations. Intradistrict movement influences how teachers are allocated among schools within a large district, but has little effect on how teachers are allocated among districts. Interdistrict movement seems most likely to occur where opportunities for intradistrict movement are limited, such as for teachers with Ph.D.s or teachers in small districts.