Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Several states have enacted a variety of tenure reforms in recent years, thereby potentially transforming the traditionally protected structure of the teacher labor market. This study investigates the effect of recent tenure reforms in Tennessee, which extended the pre-tenure probation period, made tenure status non-permanent, and linked tenure eligibility to teacher performance within the newly revamped educator evaluation process. Using statewide teacher-level data, I estimate a difference-in-differences model comparing grandfathered teachers to teachers receiving tenure under the reformed system to identify the comprehensive effect of tenure reform on transfer within and exit from the state’s public schooling system. Findings

indicate that, on average, the introduction of recent tenure reforms in Tennessee significantly reduced within-district transfers by 1.3 percentage points and teacher attrition by 1.5 percentage points. Results also suggest that reductions in attrition were particularly concentrated among teachers receiving high ratings under the state’s evaluation system. My findings, while preliminary, may be indicative of a practice in which administrators are selectively retaining teachers with weaker tenure protections while “counseling-out” teachers with traditional tenure protections.