Use transfer incentives to place high-performing teachers in hard-to-staff schools serving disadvantaged students¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 1 claim (1 mixed) · 1 study (1 causal), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description¶

A district-level staffing strategy: offer a substantial per-teacher payment to induce high-performing teachers to transfer into hard-to-staff schools. The report states the strategy is "intended to expand disadvantaged students' access to the most effective teachers," and notes prior research showing low-income middle school students are "significantly less likely to have access to the highest-performing teachers."

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• A per-teacher incentive payment large enough to attract transfers (the pilot used $20,000 per teacher) and identified vacancies in hard-to-staff schools.

Constraints¶

• Test-score gains were observed in elementary schools but not middle schools in this pilot.

Target Learners¶

• Low-income and disadvantaged students in hard-to-staff schools

Target Learning Goals¶

• Improving student achievement by expanding access to the most effective teachers

Claims¶

• The paper examines high-performing teachers' willingness to transfer and the transfer offer's effect on receiving schools' internal dynamics [~W]

Related Strategies¶

• Offer selective financial transfer incentives to staff hard-to-staff schools with high-performing teachers

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Steven Glazerman, Ali Protik, Bing-ru Teh, Julie Bruch, Neil Seftor. (2012). Moving High-Performing Teachers: Implementation of Transfer Incentives in Seven Districts. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee