Description:

Speaker: Aastha Rajan

Title: Incentivizing Success: Assessing the Texas Incentive Allotment Program's Impact on Teacher Labor Markets and Student Achievement (Joint with Lauren Harris and Cecilia Moreira)

Abstract: This research project aims to study how policies that introduce compensation differentials while reducing information asymmetries impact teacher sorting in the education labor market. To do so, we study the effects of the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) - a new  pay-for-performance program instituted in Texas in 2019 - on the labor market for teachers and student outcomes.  Using linked student-teacher K-12 administrative data, we analyze how the program impacts teacher mobility, teacher retention, and students' outcomes. Preliminary results show that TIA changes sorting patterns in the teacher labor market and is effective at increasing retention of teachers in participating school districts.