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Salem Rogers
In the context of an ongoing national conversation about teacher shortages, we build on prior literature on the efficacy of teacher certification pathways by comparing entry and exit patterns based on age at the time of certification. All trainees who complete a state certification process have invested substantial time and resources into entering teaching. Competing employment opportunities and expectations might vary with age. We use both linear regression and discrete-time hazard models to examine employment and subsequent exit of newly certified teacher trainees in Michigan from 2011 to 2023. We find that while mid-career entrants in their 30s and 40s compose a small share of new certificates, they are more likely to enter a teaching position and no more likely to subsequently exit than counterparts who were certified in their early 20s. Mid-career pathways also contribute to teacher diversity by attracting more Black and male teachers who enter and persist.
We study the effects of increased school spending in rural American school districts by leveraging the introduction and subsequent expansion of Wisconsin’s Sparsity Aid Program. We find that the program, which provides additional state funding to small and isolated school districts, increased spending in eligible districts by 2% annually and that districts primarily allocated funds to areas with low baseline budget shares. This increased spending has little effect on standardized test scores, but modestly increases college enrollment and completion for students with a low likelihood of attending or completing college.