Teacher mobility in reform contexts: A systematic review of empirical studies on teacher leave, turnover, and retention
Teacher mobility in reform contexts: A systematic review of empirical studies on teacher leave, turnover, and retention
Status: Submitted
Authors: Alessandra Díaz-Sacco, Macarena Salas, Bernardita Tornero, Dany López-González, and Joseph Calderon
Journal: TBD
Last Draft: August 2025
Abstract
This paper reviews empirical research examining how educational reforms and public policies influence teacher mobility, particularly leave, turnover and retention. The review is guided by two research questions: (1) What types of reforms or policies have been studied in relation to teacher mobility? and (2) What effects do these studies report on teacher leave, retention, and turnover? We conducted a structured search and selection process to identify relevant peer-reviewed studies, focusing on reforms and policies implemented in primary and secondary education systems. The included literature covers a range of interventions, including accountability and evaluation systems, pension reforms, salary adjustments, equity-aimed recruitment incentives, and policies affecting working conditions.
Across 28 studies conducted in the United States, England, Sweden, China, Norway, and Kazakhstan, we find that accountability reforms often increase turnover in the short term, particularly among lower-performing teachers or those in disadvantaged schools, while pension reforms can significantly alter retirement timing and mid-career mobility. Salary reforms and targeted financial incentives generally reduce turnover in hard-to-staff schools, although effects vary by context and magnitude of the incentive. Policies improving working conditions, such as reducing class size or providing additional support staff, tend to enhance teacher retention, though evidence remains limited in scope.
The review also identifies methodological patterns: most studies use quasi-experimental designs such as difference-in-differences, regression discontinuity, or instrumental variables, leveraging policy implementation as a source of exogenous variation. However, there is limited cross-national evidence, and the interaction effects of multiple concurrent reforms remain underexplored. By synthesizing findings across policy areas, this paper highlights both consistent effects—such as the role of incentives in shaping teacher labor supply—and important gaps for future research, including the need for more long-term analyses and consideration of heterogeneous effects by teacher and school characteristics.