There is growing concern among policy makers over the quality of the teacher workforce in general, and the distribution of effective teachers across schools. The impact of teacher attrition on overall teacher quality will depend on the effectiveness of teachers who leave the profession. Likewise, teacher turnover may alleviate or worsen inequities in the distribution of teachers, depending on which teachers change schools or leave teaching and who replaces them. Using matched student–teacher panel data from the state of Florida, we examine teacher mobility across the distribution of effectiveness (as measured by teacher value added). We find that top-quartile and bottom-quartile teachers exit at a higher rate than do average-quality teachers. Additionally, as the share of peer teachers with more experience, advanced degrees, or professional certification increases, the likelihood of moving within-district decreases. We also find some evidence of assortative matching among teachers—more productive reading/language arts teachers are more likely to stay in teaching if they have more productive peer teachers.

This article explores whether new teachers are assigned to tough classrooms and whether such classroom assignment is associated with higher teacher mobility. It utilizes the statewide administrative data set on public school teachers in Florida during the period 1997–2003 in conjunction with the 1999–2000 Schools and Staffing Survey and its Teacher Follow-Up Survey (SASS-TFS) data set. The SASS-TFS illustrates the possible misclassification of teachers in certain state administrative databases. Results suggest that new teachers in Florida and elsewhere usually teach in more challenging schools and have more disadvantaged children in their classrooms than teachers with more years of experience. Within-school classroom assignments play an important role in teacher mobility decisions. Specifically, school-specific policies on reducing disciplinary problems and possible strategic deployment of teachers in different classrooms may be effective in increasing school-level teacher retention rates.